At Em Oh: Duelist Kingdom
by Youngbountygirl
Summary: With Seto still in the hospital, Atem is given responsibility over Mokuba and the second key to Kaiba Corp. Pegasus forces Atem into the tournement by stealing his grandfather's soul to retrieve the second key to Kaiba Corp. Sequel to At Em Oh
1. Introduction

**HELLO FOLKS! THIS IS THE ONE, THE ONLY, AT-EM-OH DUELIST KINGDOM! Just to recap, NOT A YOAI! BROTHERLY LOVE! Hint on the brotherly love. There is romance, but mostly brotherly love with Atem and Yugi, and Ryou and Ryan or the thief king. This chapter will recap on things that happened in At-Em-Oh.**

Atem Moto was a regular teenage boy with teenage problems of his own. Solving the millennium puzzle, he has gained new friends: Tea Garner, Hanaski Tomoya, Seto Kaiba, Mokuba Kaiba, and Ryan Bakura. Together, with Atem and his new friends, along with _an annoying pest_ who lives inside him, he faces new adventures and life just _isn't_ the same. Atem also gains new understanding on the people around him.

Yugi: A 3000 year old spirit with absolutely no memory whatsoever. He lives inside Atem and shares a _deep_ brotherly bond with him. He often calls Atem_ "Brother"_ and loves cuddling and feeling physical affections from Atem, _because_ of their bond. He has known Atem longer than he has known Yugi, since Yugi remembers a time when Atem tried to solve the puzzle through the past _eight years._ Though, he could not see Yugi nor could they _touch_. Yugi loves his brother Atem like his own soul and _differently_ than anyone else. Yugi also shares romantic feelings for Tea Garner, much to Atem's annoyance, though he feels his love for Atem is stronger and _eternal_ since most romantic couples breakup and end up hating each other in _some way. _Yugi also shares a close friendship with Hanaski Tomoya. They are best friends and do everything together, though not as much as Yugi and Atem. Hanaski was the first friend Yugi has made, aside from Atem, who knows about him and Atem sharing a body. Yugi has just discovered that the seven millennium items are _perhaps_ the key to uncovering his _lost memory_. He has also discovered that there is a _dark evil_ inside these items and one that lies inside Ryou, the spirit inside Ryan, who will _not_ stop to gain _ultimate power._

Atem Moto: For eight years, Atem has tried to solve the millennium puzzle, facing the dangers of life along the way. Finally, Atem solves it, but gains a spirit who now rests inside the puzzle. Atem has learned to love and developed understanding others through Yugi. He has gained new friends and has learned to show affections through words, actions, and physical contact. Despite this, Atem has led a dark past of once joining a gang, along with Joey, who sells and does drugs and alcohol, and rapes women. After finding the part of the gang,_ raping women_, Atem left along with his ex girlfriend whom he's currently _not_ dating. It's revealed that Atem is not a virgin and has had sex with previous girlfriends he calls his _"sex partners"_ since he had no _romantic feelings_ for them. The only girls it's revealed for Atem to have had _any_ romantic feelings for are Olivia, whose brother was the leader of the gang Atem and Joey once joined in, and Serenity Wheeler, Atem's childhood love. Atem also has had occasions with bullying Hanaski in the past and once considered Tea a _long-time enemy._ After Yugi became a part of his life, he now has developed _understanding_ and considers Tea a good friend. Along his journey, he has met Seto Kaiba, who refuses to develop relationships with _anyone_, but develops one with Atem. He considers Seto Kaiba _a close friend_, including his brother Mokuba. After being comatose, Atem carries Seto's key to Kaiba Corporation, given to him by Mokuba. Kaiba Corporation is currently slipping down. He also has met Ryan Bakura, who carries the millennium ring that also holds a spirit, Ryou. Though, Ryou has an evil spirit inside him that has been inside him for more than _three thousand years._ He reveals that the millennium items hold the key to unlocking _Yugi's_ _lost memories._ The millennium items Atem currently knows are the millennium key and scale (held by Shadi, who tried to destroy Atem's soul room until Yugi saved him), the millennium ring (held by Ryan), and the millennium eye (held by Maxamillion Pegasus).

Solomon Moto: Atem's grandfather and guardian. He is the founder of the millennium puzzle, which was found inside the ancient tomb of a pharaoh_ without a name._ His grandson, Atem Moto, had solved the puzzle and now is the possessor of the soul that rests inside him. Solomon had been aware of the characteristic changes inside Atem, after he solved the puzzle. After Atem's encounter with Shadi, Atem has revealed to his grandfather and Professor Hawkins of the magic inside the puzzle _and Yugi_, who rests inside him. Solomon believes Atem was destined to be the _possessor_ of the millennium puzzle, which is why he has a close relationship with Yugi.

Uka Moto: Atem's mother who is _unaware_ of the spirit inside her son. Though, she suspects Atem's change of personality from time to time. She worries about her son and loves him dearly. Her biggest fear is losing Atem after he left the house at the age of thirteen to join a gang to do drugs and alcohol. She is also aware that Atem was raped at ten when coming home from Joey's house.

Joey Wheeler: Atem's best friend since childhood. He was once never seen _anywhere_ without Atem until he solved the millennium puzzle. Joey had noticed his friend's change in personality when watching Atem running with Hanaski down the halls. Joey started questioning Atem about this _change in personality_ when he started doing it more frequently around Hanaski _and Tea._ Atem revealed that the puzzle around his neck contained _magic_ and used _that_ as an excuse for his _change __of personality._ Joey stopped questioning Atem after watching him, _or Yugi,_ playing a hot plate ice hockey game despite two fractured ribs and side bone. After watching Atem fight with Yugi over control during Death-T, Atem admits about Yugi's existence and the fact he was _once_ ashamed of Yugi, _and then himself._ Joey excepts both Atem and Yugi and now is close friends with Yugi.

Serenity Wheeler: Her character has not been revealed yet. All it is known about her is that she is Joey's sister currently in the hospital with bad eyesight. Joey and Atem have worked on two part-time jobs to raise money for her surgery. It is also revealed that she was also _Atem's first love interest. _When her and Joey's parents divorced, she moved with her mother while Joey stayed with their drunken father to keep close contacts with Atem. Serenity has not seen Atem since she was ten, so her _current relationship_ with Atem is unknown.

Hanaski Tomoya: A shy timid boy who is a _Zombire_ fanatic. He collects comic books of _Zombire_ and brings them to school. Once being bullied by Atem, whom he never considered _a bully_, have now developed a friendship. He is currently best friends with Yugi, the spirit inside Atem, and has been since he defeated Trudge and gave him a penalty game or _a timeout_. Hanaski does almost _everything_ with Yugi and is considered his _first best friend_ he's ever made. It is revealed that he never _had friends_ before meeting Yugi, and has a physical mental condition. His father works in America and will come once and a while to bring _Zombire_ stuff. It's revealed that Hanaski's room used to be full of _Zombire_ stuff until Atem teased him for being _nerdy_. He also wishes to be a hero like Yugi, feeling useless, but when trouble comes, he is out to help his friends in anyway he can. Hanaski and Yugi are known to run around in the hallway, holding hands, like banshees, much to Atem's embarrassment. He is also close friends with Tea.

Tristan Taylor: A close friend of Atem and Joey. They had been friends since middle school. It is revealed that Tristan lives in a bad environment. He has a sister, who is revealed to be one of Atem's _"sex partners"_ and has a son named Jouji, who is the son of someone else. After Atem solved the puzzle, Tristan was aware of Atem's _change in personality_, but never bothered with it. He was the one to reveal that Joey was _suspicious_ of Atem's change out of jeaousy for Hanaski being _Atem's new friend._ Tristan continually was unaware of the magic and Yugi until he was told while driving his friends from Kaiba Land to the hospital. Though, it took some _convincing_. Tristan accepts Yugi as a friend and is willing to help fight with his friends.

Tea Garner: Once _a long-time enemy_ of Atem, but now is considered a good friend. Her and Yugi are _in love_ and currently have been dating for a long while. Though, it is not revealed when her and Yugi _started_ coming to grips with their current feelings. Since Yugi lives inside Atem, it is hard to Tea to hang around with Yugi alot like him and Hanaski. It is revealed that Tea's father _is aware_ of her feelings, but mistakens them for Atem, since he is unaware of their long-time hatred for one another. She tries to spend as much time with Yugi as she can, romantic wise, though it is difficult since she is in love with Yugi, and not Atem. Tea came to know about Yugi after he played a shadow game with a criminal on death row and burning him alive. She found him lifted up and pinned against the wall by an angry Atem, who was invisible to Tea's eyes. Since Tea's discovery, Tea started developing romantic feelings for Yugi.

Seto Kaiba: President of Kaiba Corporation. Him and Mokuba were orphans, adopted by Gozaburro Kaiba before he committed suicide after Seto gained control of the company. Seto believes that developing _friendships_ will only lead to them to interfering with the company. After meeting with Atem, he considers him _a rival_. Though, through time, Seto has gained a close relationship with Atem and found it as _weakness_. Seto set up a tournament in Kaiba Land called Death-T to make Atem Moto _his enemy_. After losing, he received a penalty game from Atem, who thought it was the only way to help Seto. While in the hospital, Mokuba is controlling the company, but has Atem protecting the second key to Kaiba Corporation, which once belonged to Seto. It's revealed that Atem feels guilty over Seto's condition, but it is not clear when he will wake up. It is revealed that he can _hear_ Blue-Eyes White Dragon _calling out to him_, and because of this, he is aware of the supernatural Atem has inside his puzzle. Seto is also aware of Yugi's existence.

Mokuba Kaiba: The young brother of Seto Kaiba. He is vice president of Kaiba Corporation. When Seto met Atem and started developing a relationship, Mokuba also took this for _weakness_. He challenged _and cheated_ in a game of Capsule Monsters against Atem. After losing, Mokuba also started developing a relationship with Atem. He also believes Atem can _help_ Seto with alot of the issues he's currently facing. After Death-T, Mokuba gave Atem the responsibility of watching over the second key to Kaiba Corp. once held by Seto Kaiba. It is revealed that since Seto is currently in a coma, Mokuba goes to Atem for help. Mokuba is also running Kaiba Corp. with his brother comatose and because of this, the company is building up on stocks. It also seems that Seto's employees, the Big Five, are trying to find a solution, but Mokuba doesn't trust _this solution_.

Ryan Bakura: Holder of the millennium ring and carrier of an ancient spirit as old as Yugi is. He shares a close relationship with Ryou like Atem does with Yugi. He is known to be a _bad-boy_ type of guy and attacts many of the girls, like Atem, at school. Though, it is unsure of what his past life was like, besides once living in England. When meeting Ryou through his millennium ring, after buying the role playing game _Monster World_, Ryou started becoming possessed by some _evil spirit_ that had been with him for over 3000 years. Whenever this _evil spirit_ possesses Ryou, he challenges their friends to a _Monster World_ shadow game and seals their souls into _Monster World_ character pieces. When meeting Atem and his other friends, they have put a stop to Yami Ryou's madness. The evil spirit seems weak for the moment and will return _very soon_. Ryan is determined to protect his brother and his friends.

Ryou: A spirit who lives inside Ryan. He is timid, shy, and childlike. Aside from his memories with Ryan, Ryou has no memories above ten years old after discovering his hometown was destroyed by the development of the seven millennium items. The darkness of these items possessed Ryou and the evil spirit had been possessing him since. Just like Yugi, Ryou loves cuddling and physical affections. Though, he doesn't call Ryan _"Brother,"_ but just _Ryan_. He often fears of losing his friends again since that has happened too often. He seems to have _some_ knowledge about the millennium item and how Yugi can regain his memories. He reveals that the seven millennium items are the key to regaining _Yugi's lost memory_. Ryou also believes Yugi might be the only one who can free him from this evil spirit.

Maxamillion Pegasus: The creator of Duel Monsters and the host of a grand tournament called _Duelist Kingdom_. Seto Kaiba was invited to this tournament until he became comatose. Atem Moto is taking Seto's place at the tournament for Seto's sake and to win the money he needs for Serenity Wheeler's operation. He has been keeping contacts with Atem about the tournament. It is also revealed that he wields a millennium item called_ the millennium eye_. Atem suspects that Pegasus might be one of the wielders to use the dark powers _for evil._

The Big Five: Five employees who work for Seto Kaiba. Since Kaiba Corporation is sinking to the bottom, they are currently trying_ to find a solution_. Though, Mokuba doesn't trust them. They are unaware of Atem possessing the second key, but they might be aware that Mokuba has the first key. They are also _unaware_ of Seto's relations with Atem since Seto is known for _not_ developing friendships.


	2. Challenge

**Here's the first chapter. I'd like to start it with a bang and that's what I'm going to do. All these duels are based off the manga. In fact, this whole story is based off the manga. The characters and everything! Hanaski is a real character, you can look up Hanaski Tomoya and find his character easily. Also, this is a remake of the story Yu-Gi-Oh, but with Yugi and Atem switching roles. Atem plays as the main character and Yugi plays as the spirit. I think you should get the idea from the character list from the beginning. Review please!**

Mokuba was in bed asleep. He had been exhausted from the meeting with The Big Five, five of Seto's _best employees_ who help keep the company working smoothly. Though, since Seto was comatose, the company had been slipping. Stocks were piling up and the company was close to going bankrupt. Seto was usually the one keeping the money in tact, but he not now since he is currently in the hospital. Mokuba has had restless nights since Death-T.

To make the situation worse, Mokuba could no longer hang out and have fun like he used to. There were piles of homework _unfinished_ and many rich investors wanting to buy off Kaiba Corp. Mokuba knew he _had_ to protect his brother's company with his life until his brother wakes up. At times he felt like the whole weight of the world was on his shoulders. He felt like he shouldn't have to put up with this. He was _twelve years old_ for crying out loud!

A creak was heard from outside of Mokuba's room. Mokuba snapped his eyes wide open and sat up on the bed. His whole body shook while scanning his surroundings. A sigh left his mouth as he laid back on the bed while hugging his pillow. His arms were shaking as if the cold air just hit him. The door cracked open and a shadow emerged through the door. Mokuba clutched onto his pillow tightly as the shadow crept closer and closer.

Mokuba figured if he fake-slept, this figure would go away, but luck wasn't on his side. He felt his body being grabbed, a hand clamped around his mouth and a pistol pointed to his head.

_"Give us the key, you little shit head,"_ a deep voice threatened that sounded like one of the men of the Big Five. Mokuba narrowed his eyes and shook his head rapidly. A low chuckle escaped the man's lips. _"Bad choice, kid."_ A gun shot was heard.

* * *

><p>"AHHHHHH! SEEETOOOO!" Mokuba cried with tears escaping his eyes, sitting upright on his bed. It had only been a dream, a <em>horrible<em> nightmare. Mokuba clutched onto his legs and bawled in a loud cry as _a figure_ emerged into the room, turning on the light.

"Mokuba! Are you alright?" Atem asked with worry that filled his eyes. Ever since Seto had been comatose, he had taken up with filling Seto's position as _Mokuba's protector_. Mokuba needed an older brother, especially when running a company on his own and _developing nightmares_ because of it.

"I WISH SETO WERE HERE!" Mokuba cried as Atem walked onto the bed and brought the boy into his arms.

"Shhh-shhhh," Atem shushed, soothing Mokuba as he rubbed his hand up and down the boy's back. "there, there."

"IT'S NOT FAIR! WHY WON'T HE WAKE UP? THE COMPANY'S STOCKS ARE PILED, THE BIG FIVE WANTS TO SELL THE COMPANY, AND... I CAN'T KEEP THIS UP, ATEM!" Mokuba cried into Atem's PJ shirt, clutching onto it.

"You want me to come sleep next to you?" Atem asked as Mokuba looked up with tearful eyes and nodded. Atem pulled himself under the covers as Mokuba snuggled his face into Atem's chest, like he once did with Seto.

"Seto used to tell me that nightmares were made to scare kids and keep them from having_ good dreams_," Mokuba sobbed as Atem chuckled in response.

"I guess I can't disagree with him _there_. You're stressed Mokuba! You're having to keep a company running on your shoulders and you shouldn't be having that," Atem said softly, still rubbing Mokuba's back. _"This is all my fault."_

"NO! Don't say that!" Mokuba wailed out. "Seto needed help and you helped him! When he wakes up, everything will turn out good. They always do!"

_"I hope you're right,"_ Atem sighed while glancing at the stars out the window.

The next day, Atem was came to school school with dark circles under his eyes, which was not natural since Yugi _always_ put his brother to sleep. However, when _babysitting_ was involved, especially with a Mokuba having nightmares and stresses, _anything_ was possible. Atem even brought himself a thermos of coffee to keep him up throughout the day. Unfortunately, even _that_ wasn't enough.

Joey and Tea were dueling. Tea had beaten Joey for the _one-hundredth time_ in a row and he was throwing a fit. Everyone was laughing over the whole commotion, even Hanaski. The only one who _wasn't_ was a sleepy Atem who's head was on the desk snoring away, well not _snoring_, but talking.

"Sorry Joey," Tea smirked as she left the desk. Joey was still up for another game.

"ALRIGHT! WHO WANTS TO PLAY! I'M HERE TO PLAY CARD GAMES AND KICK ASS, AND _I'M ALL OUTTA ASS!_" Joey grinned manically.

"Right, like the fact you were beaten by a girl for the _one-hundredth time_ in a row," Tristan teased with his arms crossed.

"WHY I OUTTA..." Joey glared, throwing a fit before hearing his sleepy friend.

_"No Tea, I want you to to pick up Yugi later,"_ Atem whispered in his sleep.

"Damn, he _talks_ in his sleep?" Tristan asked confounded.

"What, and it took you _this many years_ to find out?" Joey smirked in a teasing manner.

"It's not like he sleeps in school everyday! He must have not gotten any Z's lately," Tristan glared, glancing at his sleeping friend worriedly.

"Poor Atem," Hanaski said in a worried tone.

_"I will send you to hell if you don't get him a ride,"_ Atem muttered quietly again.

"Might as well wake him up before he dreams about kissing Taylor Swift," Tea smirked as she brought out her iPod and placed her ear buds in Atem's ears. She maxed up her volume and played one of the songs on her playlist before Atem jumped from the desk bug-eyed.

_"AHHHHHHHH SHIIIIIT!"_ Atem cried aloud as he tripped from the desk and toppled over while still sitting on the chair. The ear buds had jerked out of his ears in the process. Tea and the rest of the gang gawked up laughing. "TEA GARNER, I'M GONNA KILL YOU!"

"_Somebody_ woke up on the wrong side of the bed," Tea teased as Atem responded with a death glare.

"Geez man, you _never_ sleep in class, especially during_ free time_. What's up?" Joey asked while helping his friend up.

"Mokuba's been receiving nightmares since Kaiba Corporation is nearing bankruptcy," Atem replied as his friends showed gasps.

_"Damn,"_ Tristan responded.

"How long has he been having nightmares?" Joey asked.

"A month or two, _I think._ The whole company is in jeopardy and it's taking a toll on Mokuba. There's only so much I can do," Atem admitted while placing his hands on a desk, holding his body upright.

"What have you been doing? That's what _I'd_ like to know," Tristan asked with crossed arms.

"I've been staying over at the Kaiba Mansion for the past several nights," Atem replied before letting out a yawn.

"Since when do you participate in _babysitting_?" Ryan asked with a devious smirk. He had just appeared to join in with the group.

_"Hey Ryan,"_ Hanaski greeted with his grinning face.

"Ryan, you missed Tea kicking Joey's ass!" Tristan smirked.

"Interesting, but I like a good duel _without_ the bitch," Ryan smirked rudely.

"I have an idea, how about you kiss my f***ing ass!" Tea glared as Tristan grabbed the back of her shirt to keep her from throwing a fit.

"That'd actually be more _entertaining_," Ryan replied before facing a sleepy Atem. _"You sure look sad."_

_"Thanks for the compliment,"_ Atem thanked sarcastically. A loud yawn escaped his mouth. "If Mokuba doesn't get rid of these damn nightmares, I'll _never_ get any sleep."

"Then why bother? It's not like he's _your_ brother," Ryan asked while crossing his arms. Atem glared down at his chest while clutching onto his shirt, which held _an item_ under it. Ryan cocked his eyebrows.

"I owe it to _him_," Atem said, glaring at the desk. "I owe it to Seto."

"You don't owe that mother f***er a damn thing! _Seriously_, I don't know why you bother helping some d***head who stole _and ripped_ your grandfather's card, sends him to the hospital, f***s you and your friends on some mother f***ing tournament, and f***s with his brother on top of that. I say ditch the d*** and send the kid to the humane society," Ryan said in a grimly tone.

"That's enough!" Tea yelled in front of Ryan as he rolled his eyes.

_"I'm just saying."_

"Ryan, I know you're only trying to help and I thank you for that, but..." Atem said before letting a sigh escape him. He buried his hands into his face. "I've got other things to worry about _and not just Mokuba._"

"You mean Serenity?" Joey asked as everyone stared at the blond. "She's going blind if the operation isn't done by next year."

"Have you and Atem found a way to get some money in?" Tea asked.

"Atem is thinking about trying to win the money in Duelist Kingdom. He's already got work and school off. Still, winning that money is only a _slim_ chance," Joey replied. He sighed sadly. "She chatted with me this morning. She wants to see me _really_ bad."

"Then you should go," Atem suggested. "I'll come with you too."

"Atem, you've got alot on your plate as it is. You don't need to..."

"I _want_ to!" Atem said boldly. "Seto isn't the _only_ person I owe. I owe it to Serenity to see her. What she needs right now is _hope_, hope that she will be able to _see_ again."

"Ok man. We'll be seeing Serenity tomorrow. _Sound fair?_" Joey asked as Atem nodded before giving out a yawn. "Do me a favor and get some _damn sleep!_"

After school, Atem walked on his way home to catch up on some sleep. Joey was right, Atem needed sleep _and bad._ Then, his cell phone rang from his pocket. Atem checked the caller ID which read _Kaiba_. _It was Mokuba!_ Atem answered the call.

"Hello?" Atem answered.

_"Atem, could you take me home?"_ Mokuba asked before a yawn escaped from Atem's mouth.

"Sure."

_"Atem, you sound exhausted. Is it because of last night?"_

"Don't worry about it, Mokuba."

_"Atem listen, if you're tired, I'll let you rest at the Kaiba Mansion. It's the least I can do."_

"Mokuba..."

_"Atem, you hold my brother's key and if _anyone_ gets a hold of it, Kaiba Corporation is history!"_

"I understand."

_"Than gets some damn sleep!"_

"Fine, _Mr. Persistent_. I swear, you're worse than my mom."

_"If you were Seto, I'd be getting onto him too! Even _he_ sleeps more than you do!"_

"I'll pick you up from school and get some shut-eye," Atem promised before a smile appeared on his lips. "Goodbye."

_"Bye!"_

Atem hung up the phone as soon as he made it home. He got out his keys and turned on the motorcycle before driving off on his way to Mokuba's school. He took off, driving several blocks down the street. Somewhere in Domino City, there was a huge school that was titled _"Ranger Middle School."_ This was a private school for mostly rich or _upper class kids_. It was unusual for people _like Atem_ to be found hanging around this area, so when he parked, _everyone_ gave him stares.

Atem sighed while parking his motorcycle and leaning against it. Children were rampaging out of the school and into the parking lot where their parents were waiting to pick them up. The rest of the kids took the buses, or limos or cabs. Mokuba burst out running by Atem before hopping onto the motorcycle.

"Thanks a bunch!" Mokuba thanked Atem as he gave a smirk in reply.

"Hey Mokie, who's your friend there with the cool ride?" a random friend of Mokuba's asked.

"He's a friend of my brother's," Mokuba replied.

"I thought you said your brother didn't _have_ friends."

"I thought that too," Mokuba grinned before Atem drove off._ "SEE YA!"_

Atem rode his motorcycle several blocks down the road to the Kaiba Mansion. He parked his ride right by the mansion before him and Mokuba entered inside with Hobson's help, who opened the french doors. Atem gave Hobson a smiling nod. He had recovered from the electrocution in Death-T. Surprisingly, Hobson never held _anything_ against Atem, even _after_ the electric chair ride. Mokuba did find that story hilarious, especially the part where Jouji peed on the poor butler.

Atem walked upstairs into Seto's old bedroom. Mokuba let him sleep there since he was _extremely_ exhausted. Atem plopped onto the bed before kicking his shoes off and pulling himself under the covers. He yawned, stretching his arms before turning his body over to his front side on top of Yugi's spirited body. Atem was out like a light as soon as his face was buried in Yugi's neck. Yugi was out too, since he was asleep the whole time Atem was at school. Apparently, both Atem _and Yugi_ haven't recieved any good sleep since they were trying to help Mokuba with his _nightmare issues._

Mokuba did the usual, caught up on his homework and worked on Kaiba Corp. on his brother's laptop. He felt bad for being the cause of Atem not having any good sleep. Mokuba sighed deeply while typing out some stuff on his laptop. He was stressed from _everything_ that was happening at Kaiba Corp. He had just overheard the Big Five plotting to _sell_ the company to Industrial Illusions, owned by Maxamillion Pegasus. Mokuba knew they'd be after the two keys, but they'd have to force it out of both Mokuba's _and Atem's_ neck before taking control of the company, let alone _sell_ it.

Mokuba closed the laptop and dragged his feet across the floor. He happened to have heard the doorbell ring. Mokuba held a deep glare on his face as he answered the door.

"What do you guys want? I told you I ain't selling my bro's company," Mokuba declared.

"We know _that_, we just thought we'd tell ya that Pegasus _agreed_ to our deal," The first member of the Big Five replied.

"Well, tell Pegasus _I reject!_" Mokuba ordered.

"Who said you _had_ a choice, kid?" The second member asked rhetorically as Mokuba glared even deeper before two of the members grabbed Mokuba by each arm.

"LET THE F*** OFF ME!" Mokuba yelled, resisting the hold.

"We _need_ the keys, kid!" The first member glared while holding Mokuba's chin toward him. "And we're gonna get them..." He smirked before revealing a pistol in his hand that was pointed toward Mokuba's chin. "_now_... hand 'em over or I'll shoot your guts off."

Mokuba was scared and shaking, but he kept his firm glare. He said, "I'll show ya if you assholes let go of me!"

The first member shrugged as the two other members released Mokuba. He dug into his shirt and revealed the small key that seemed to be the size of a quarter_ if not bigger._ The members of the big five grinned devilishly and lustfully as Mokuba showed a devious smirk. He popped the key into his mouth and swallowed it before showing an evil grin.

"You son of a bitch!" the first member shouted as he was about to shoot Mokuba when the third member stopped him.

"Wait, we'll get the key, we just have to wait till he goes on _number two_," the third member smirked as he took Mokuba with a firm hold by his two arms.

"LET GO OF ME, KIMO!" Mokuba yelled.

"I'm afraid not, Mokuba," Kimo smirked with a devilish chuckle. "You have _one_ of the two keys. The question is _where's the other one?_ You know that answer too, _another thing_."

"YOU'LL NEVER GET _EITHER_ KEY!" Mokuba smirked, still trying to resist the hold and run off _somehow_.

"We'll see," the first member smirked evilly before they heard a gun shot. Kimo had been shot behind on his right shoulder blade.

"AW SHIT!" Kimo cried, releasing Mokuba out of reflects from the gun shot.

_"MOKUBA RUN!"_ Atem cried out to Mokuba as he scrambled onto his feet and ran away as fast as he could. Atem was on the stairwell with a pistol held with two hands.

"NO!" Kimo cried out, trying to catch Mokuba again, but the wound from the gun shot was so painful, he tripped. "_Ah shit._ AFTER HIM!"

Two men chased after the boy who ran quickly down the sidewalk. The other two pointed their guns at Atem, who was pointing his pistol at them. The two men grinned manically with cockiness to them.

"You've got nowhere to go, dolt," the first member of the Big Five smirked. "Now do us a favor and put the gun down like a good lad."

"Sorry, but I don't take orders from men who _assult and abuse_ my friends," Atem smirked.

"You're a bit old to be _that_ close with _a twelve-year-old_," the second member of the Big Five mocked.

"He's my friend, because he is the brother of my _other_ dear friend, who is in the hospital at this time."

"_Seto?_ Seto Kaiba?" The first member mocked.

"We know our boss _never_ makes friends with _anyone_," the second member declared with a sickly grin.

"_So he says_, though I suppose I'll be fair and say he's also my _rival_," Atem smirked while eying down at the bottom of the staircase. "By the way..." He then jumped off the staircase. _"THINK FAST!"_

"SHIT!" The first member shouted before they started shooting and missing, seeing that Atem protected himself behind a huge chair with wheels. He pushed it toward the two men who dodged it just in time.

Atem was able to distract the men long enough for him to escape from the mansion. Though, before he could do _that_, he tripped on Kimo who was still wounded from the gun shot. As Atem was tripping _something_ slipped from under his shirt and made a clinging sound on the sidewalk.

_"Aw shit,"_ Atem said as Kimo's eyes widened over the small key around Atem's neck.

"_AW SHIT!_ THAT ASS HAS THE SECOND KEY!" Kimo cried to his men as they ran out of the mansion and were about to shoot Atem when they realized they ran out of bullets.

"F***!" The first member cursed as Atem got up on his feet and ran off to his motorcycle. He quickly turned the key to his ride and drove off out of the mansion. Hobson closed the gate right after Atem left from the property.

"YOU HAVE GOT TO BE F***ING KIDDING ME!" Kimo glared.

"Atem, you must protect Mokuba at all costs! You both have the keys!" Hobson ordered as Atem gave a nod. "I'll hold them off!"

"Thank you!" Atem thanked the butler.

"No, thank _you_! You've helped Master Kaiba more times than I can count. Just promise to protect his brother."

"I will, Hobson!" Atem promised and left in his motorcycle. He caught Mokuba hiding inside the game shop. Since Solomon ran the store, the Big Five lost Mokuba, not knowing that Solomon was protecting the boy. They were clueless about Mokuba and Atem and Atem's background story. They did not see _or expect _Mokuba hiding behind the counter.

When Atem walked inside the game shop and into the living room, Uka gasped in horror, seeing all the scraps and scratches on Atem's knees and arms from when Atem slipped on Kimo.

"_MY BABY!_ What in the world happened?" Uka asked like the world was coming to an end. She ran to the kitchen and got out a wet washrag and soap.

"Atem, are you okay? I thought you got shot," Mokuba asked in a worried tone, who had been waiting for Atem in the Living Room.

_"SHOT?"_ Uka screamed in shock.

"_Those mother f***ers_, I'm guessing they're the Big Five. I can see why you don't trust them," Atem said before stomping his foot to the floor. "F***!"

"Atem!" Uka rebuked.

_"Sorry,"_ Atem apologized while his mother was washing the blood from his arms and knees. _"Neh!" _Atem cringed from the pain. He continued, "They also found out I have the other key."

_"Shit,"_ Mokuba muttered.

"_Key?_ Atem, what's going on?" Uka demanded, not focusing on the fact that Mokuba just cursed.

"You know Kaiba Corporation?" Mokuba asked.

"You mean the largest gaming company in Japan... _or was._ I heard they're nearing bankruptcy," Uka wondered.

"_That's the one._ The Big Five is trying to sell out the company and... _actually already have._ They just need the two keys. I have one of them and Atem has the other," Mokuba explained as Uka stared at her son like he was a target in a shooting rang.

"At least they didn't get your key," Atem sighed in relief before clutching his fist. "And over my own dead body are they getting _mine_."

"Of course not," Mokuba smirked devilishly. "I swallowed _mine_ when they were about to force it outta me."

"Smart move," Atem smirked before sighing and taking the key from under his shirt. "I'm gonna need to find a place where they'll _have to kill me_ to get this key."

"You better, otherwise Pegasus will own Kaiba Corp."

"Wait, Maxamillion Pegasus is_ the buyer_?" Atem asked in shock as Mokuba nodded. _"Damn."_

"Atem! Language!" Uka rebuked.

"Uh... _sorry_."

"Pegasus will probably know that I have the key," Atem thought before a sigh slipped through his lips. "_I'm_... gonna have to_ refuse the invitation_. Especially if the Big Five are gonna play dirty. Though, I will inform him of what they did. It is possible that he is unaware that the Big Five had him buy off the company _without_ your consult. Though, I still don't trust him, _period_."

"Neither do I," Mokuba said before glomping Atem in a hug. "_Thanks_... for saving me."

"Of course," Atem said before embracing the boy back, returning the hug. "You'll need to stay with me. It isn't safe at the mansion anymore."

"Are you sure? I mean..." Mokuba wondered before looking at Uka. "Would it be a burden if I stayed over here?"

"Of course not!" Uka replied with her hands on her hips. "Knowing those men have guns, I agree with my son's logic, and if I agree with Atem, then it must be true. You can ask dad."

Atem rolled his eyes while Solomon chuckled, "she's right. You _should_ stay here, Mokuba. I doubt the Big Five know Atem lives here."

"And when in doubt, you can always stay with Hanaski. His family is like a welcome party," Atem said half jokingly.

"Thanks alot," Mokuba thanked Atem with his bright smile.

The bell to the game shop rang, revealing a group of Atem's friends, who were wanting to visit their friend. Tristan, Joey, Tea, and Hanaski gasped when they saw Atem with bleeding parks on two of his arms and busted knees. Tristan gave a whistle.

"What the hell happened to you, man?" Joey asked confounded.

"JOEY!" Uka rebuked.

"The Big Five tried to kidnap me and f***ed Atem up big time!" Mokuba replied.

"What's with your kids and your _negative_ language?" Solomon rebuked.

_"Sorry Gramps,"_ Joey apologized before looking at his friend. "Man, that's just low."

"You're telling me," Atem glared while balling up a fist. "I swear if I were Kaiba, I would've hired men that could be _trusted_!"

"To my brother, he _will_ hire men who are after money. He always says to never trust _anyone_," Mokuba said as Atem rolled his eyes.

_"Figures."_

"In other words, Kaiba's a p***," Joey said.

"Joey!" Uka rebuked.

"I'll have a chat with a Mr. Pegasus. I _will_ get to the bottom of this if it's the last thing I do," Atem promised as he got up from the couch and walked to his room with Mokuba following along. He got his laptop and brought it downstairs where his family and friends were just in case Pegasus tried anything _funny_.

"Hey Atem, I just got something from the mail that belongs to you!" Solomon called out as Atem nodded.

"It's probably _Pegasus' invitation_. Put it on the table," Atem told his grandfather as he put a small box on the coffee table in front of him. He had furrowed eyebrows when Pegasus appeared on the screen on web cam.

"Ah, hello Atem-boy. Good to see you again," Pegasus greeted.

"Mr. Pegasus, will you stop calling me _that_? It sounds weird," Atem asked politely. "I need to talk to you about _something_. I don't know how _involved_ you are on whether you're just buying off Seto's company _or more_, but his employers just attacked Mokuba and I this afternoon."

"Oh my, _how horrible!_ I promise you I was not involved in this whatsoever. If I knew this would happen, I would've prevented this," Pegasus responded in horror. Though, Atem wasn't sure if this was an act or not. He didn't really care.

"Then you understand that the Big Five sold off Kaiba Corp without the vice president's consent. Since Seto's in the hospital, Mokuba is taking over in his brother's place. They have been trying to sell off the company, despite Mokuba's refusal, since day one. I don't know if you're planning to buy off the place despite this or not, and honestly I don't care, but as long as you and the Big Five don't have the two keys to the company, buying off the company is only on paper," Atem informed the president.

"I understand that and I promise I had no intention of buying off the company if it was _not_ under the vice president's consent."

_"THAT'S A LIE!"_ Mokuba shouted angrily, looking over the couch Atem was sitting at.

"Oh, Mokuba-boy's at your house?" Pegasus asked.

"He's under my guide and protection, no thanks to the assholes that f***ed up his house," Atem said in a glaring manner.

_"Language,"_ Pegasus said mockingly while shaking his head. "Though, I can see why you _should_ be angry at me. I suppose being _the key holder_, you have alot on your mind."

"Stop f***ing with me, Pegasus," Atem glared, knowing Pegasus _knowing this knowledge_ had alot to do with the Big Five. "I hope you understand that I _won't_ be participating in the tournament. I have alot on my mind and I suspect to meet the Big Five at the Tournament as well. I can't put Mokuba in anymore danger than he already is."

"Hm, I see, but I'm afraid you can't _refuse_. You already signed the paperwork and I already paid to set up the tournament and set you up with the items you'll need."

"That's too damn bad."

"Then how about a duel then shall we? If I win, you'll join the tournament and I'm sure you'll find a way to protect Mokuba. You've already done more than you should, judging by your _lack of sleep_," Pegasus forcefully offered. Atem scrunched his eyebrows. "And if you win, I'll reject buying off the company."

"I'm not one that _gambles_ a company," Atem said with a hint of darkness in his voice.

"Not unless it's _a shadow game_," Pegasus smirked as Atem glared even deeper. He knew Pegasus would go through _deep lengths_ just to force him into the tournament. Uka became cock-eyed after hearing the phrase_ "shadow game."_

_"Brother, I have a bad feeling about this,"_ Yugi said.

_'I agree. Pegasus has the power of the millennium eye and we don't even know its power as of yet. Perhaps this duel can help us find out more about this power,'_ Atem thought as Yugi nodded in agreement._ 'Besides, if we don't agree, we'll be given a penalty game.'_ Atem glared at Pegasus deeply. "Fine. I already have my deck ready anyways."

Atem took out his deck and shuffled it. Uka stared at Joey and Tristan and asked, "can you duel on web cam?"

"Just like duelin' in real life," Joey shrugged. Though, he knew this was _a shadow game_, so anything could happen. What really worried him was _the outcome of the duel._


	3. I Won't Lose!

**Ok, question: Why did I have Pegasus challenge Atem in a web came and not a video tape? I chatted with Aqua Girl and even she agrees that the video tape thing is just unrealistic. The millennium eye can only search a person's mind, nothing more than that. If that were Ishizu, then that would be understandable since she can see into the future. Pegasus, though, can only read people's minds in present and can only do it one at a time. A web cam chat takes place in the present and I'd think that anyone can duel on a web cam chat. Also, we don't use video tapes anymore, so... might as well modern things up a bit. **

**Oh, and remember, the dueling here does not follow the normal rules of Duel Monsters. Even the Dragon Capture Jar does not act like it is described. This was how it originally worked in the manga. I also am gonna add some littlekuriboh references just because I love his Yugioh Abridged Series videos ^^. Review please!**

Atem set his laptop at the very end of the coffee table to add room for his cards. Everyone gathered around to see the outcome of the duel. Dueling the creator of Duel Monsters was like _a dream_, everyone would want to participate in _this_. Though, for Atem, he didn't have much of a choice and the company's protection was on his shoulders. As long as he had the second key, there might as well be a target on his back.

Atem placed the deck on the right side, in front of the computer to where Pegasus could see it. Pegasus placed his deck on his right before drawing out five cards just like Atem. The creator smiled deviously with a mocking chuckle.

"Common _Gloomy-boy_. Why do you look so _angry_ all the time? We're just playing a card game, let's enjoy ourselves," Pegasus mocked as Atem glared even deeper.

"Stop f***ing with me Pegasus! At least I don't act like a gay pedophile!" Atem insulted back as Pegasus gave a dark chuckle.

"Oooo, defensive are we? I suppose I can give you credit for an _impressive_ insult. I'll let you go first in that honor."

"Don't mind if I do," Atem smirked while drawing a card. "I'll summon out Koumori Dragon in attack mode!"

"I figured you'd..."

"I'm not done yet!"

"Because you're gonna combine your Koumori Dragon with your knight right?" Pegasus asked as everyone gasped, including Uka. She looked like she was having a heart attack.

"STOP F***ING WITH ME, PEGASUS! Just because you have a f***ing millennium item, does not give you the right to _invade_ my mind!" Atem spat._ 'At least I know what power the millennium eye gives him. He can read people's minds. I wonder if that's how he knew _I_ had the key.' _

_"Probably,"_ Yugi shrugged.

"Anyways, I can't have you do _that_, so I'll use my trap card Dragon Capture Jar," Pegasus declared while activating the trap card. The picture of Koumori Dragon got sucked into the screen and captured into the jar. Atem became seriously annoyed. "See, I knew you would play that card, so..."

"I TOLD YOU_ STOP F***ING WITH ME!_"

"Temper Atem-boy. _Temper_," Pegasus mocked with his index finger moving side to side.

"Kiss my ass."

Pegasus chuckled and said, "then let's continue on, shall we? I don't have all day."

_"This is bad, brother. He can read your mind with his millennium eye. We have to find a way to counter it,"_ Yugi said.

_'I'm working on that. Just give me time to think!'_ Atem glared at Yugi as Pegasus stared at his opponent cock-eyed. "I play Silver Fang in attack mode!"

"Let me guess: _in the next turn, you'll play the mystical moon to boost up his strength_ right?"

"DAMNIT PEGASUS!"

"_Again_ with the temper. You really do need to tone that temper of yours down a notch."

"I WOULD IF YOU STOP IT WITH YOUR DAMN CHEATIN'!"

"I wouldn't really call it _cheating_, since the rules don't say anything about using _millennium items_," Pegasus grinned manically as Atem glared back at the white-haired man. "Aw well, I play Dragon Piper. This releases your Koumori Dragon and lets me take control of it."

Atem glared furiously as the Dragon Capture Jar freed Koumori Dragon and Pegasus was now in possession of it. The dragon emerged from the screen of Atem's computer while Silver Fang emerged from the card and they battled. Since this was a shadow game between Atem and Pegasus, only _they_ could see this happening. The rest could only see Atem and Pegasus playing Duel Monsters with their cards like the table top version of it. Though, they did notice Atem acting a little strange as if there were _actual monsters_ on the field.

The Koumori Dragon blasted Silver Fang and depleted Atem's life points down to 1500. Atem was sick of Pegasus cheating with his millennium eye. The worst part of it was that there was no way to counter Pegasus' cheating tactics. Yugi glanced at his brother in a worried manner. Was there some way to counter Pegasus' cheating tactics? _Anything at all!_

Pegasus clapped with a huge smile on his face, saying, "now, wasn't that fun? This must make you feel _ajar_... ha! Get it? A-jar!"

"You have a_ very odd_ sense of humor. You find it humorous that you can cheat and get away with it," Atem glared with his arms crossed.

"Very much indeed. I can read all your ever thoughts and feelings. I know your deepest fears and your love interest, which is sad to say that you're still _single_," Pegasus mocked in a grinning manner as Atem glared furiously.

_'At least he knows I'm not dating Tea,'_ Atem thought while rolling his eyes. Pegasus laughed at the thought inside Atem's head.

"Complicated with love interest. Though, I don't see why people would think _that_," Pegasus shrugged. Atem glared even deeper as he drew out a card.

"I summon out Great White in attack mode!" Atem declared as Great White emerged from the card in attack mode.

"Then I summon out Oscillo Hero in attack mode," Pegasus grinned. Oscillo Hero emerged from the computer screen. "With this, I can cut your Great White's attack in half."

_"Shit!"_

"Hang in there, Atem!" Joey cheered as Atem watched Oscillo Hero take down Great White, leaving him with now 1300 life points.

_'F***! He can see all my damn cards and there's nothing I can do about it!'_ Atem screamed in his head. Yugi stared at his brother with longing.

"You can't defeat me, Atem. Just face reality," Pegasus chuckled darkly.

_"Don't give up, brother! You can do this!"_ Yugi cheered his brother. Atem looked back at his brother, and then_ thought of something._

_'How limited is this..._ mind scan_?'_ Atem asked himself. He noticed Pegasus turning cock-eyed. He was like this when talking to Yugi last time. Not to mention Pegasus seemed to think it was silly for people thinking that Atem was _going out_ with Tea. Atem was aware that Pegasus _misunderstood_ the meaning of what he was saying, but could it be because he _does not_ know about Yugi? "Pegasus, it seems you only know my cards if _I'm_ the one playing them right?"

"Why of coarse. _We_ are playing Duel Monsters aren't we?" Pegasus asked casually, not knowing where Atem was going at.

"Then let me show you _my_ magic trick," Atem smirked as he closed his eyes._ 'I need you to pick out the card and think of a strategy while I will be your hands.'_

Yugi knew where his brother was trying to do and replied,_ "definitely."_

Everyone stared confounded, including Pegasus as Atem closed his eyes and his hand drew the next card in the deck. Yugi picked out the monster to put in defense while Atem thought in his head the monster that _he_ would've chosen. He was hoping _thinking this_ could fool Pegasus and possibly lead him to_ the wrong conclusion._ It occurred to Atem that maybe Pegasus can read his mind, _but not Yugi's._

Yugi moved Atem's hand to the card just drawn and placed it face-down in defense mode. Atem was thinking in his head that he put down a monster card called _Zombie Warrior_ in defense mode. He kept this imprinted in his thoughts as Pegasus chuckled oh so darkly.

"How amusing. You can guess what cards you holding without looking at them," Pegasus laughed mockingly as Atem.

_'Not completely. Not _even_ close,'_ Atem smirked at Pegasus, deciding to talk to the guy through his mind like he does with Yugi.

"Wait, can you do _that_?" Joey asked as Atem shook his head. The blond became more confused than ever._ What was Atem doing?_

"So, I will summon, Rogue Doll in attack mode. She destroys all zombie-type monsters, so I'm afraid your Zombie Warrior is toast," Pegasus smirked as Yugi chuckled. Atem chuckled too, knowing he had just fooled Pegasus _big time._ "What's so funny?"

"It seems I found _a limit_ to your millennium eye by using _my_ millennium item," Atem replied, showing his millennium puzzle. Pegasus knew about the puzzle since it was _always_ around Atem's neck, but he didn't know the powers it possessed. Uka was _completely_ lost at this point. It was obvious that this guy can read her son's mind, but _what was_ her son doing? "Let's see what this monster _really_ is."

Atem flipped up his face-down monster to reveal non other than the Dark Magician. Yugi grinned excitedly. Even Pegasus seemed completely baffled. How was it _possible_ that Atem could fool the mind reader like this? Atem kept a wider smirk since this monster was more powerful than he expected. He eyed Yugi who held an exciting grin.

_'Nice choice, Yugi,'_ Atem said as Pegasus' eyes widened in shock. The teenager looked back at him._ 'Confused?_ You shouldn't._ My millennium item can hold _two_ souls. It has the power of Unity. _Yugi_ was the one who chose the Dark Magician for me, so you wouldn't know what I had face-down.'_

Dark Magician attacked Pegasus' Rogue Doll and Pegasus' life points dropped down to 1100 life points. Pegasus chuckled darkly, which grew louder and louder. Atem cocked his eyebrows, wondering what in this world Pegasus would be _laughing_ about.

"Impressive, but I knew about Yugi-boy since the day we met. I just never expected you to have him _help you_. You're not the type who'd give up your own pride," Pegasus chuckled before giving a shrug. Uka's eyes grown even wider. She was _unaware_ of Yugi's existence. "_Buuuuut,_ I suppose you'd have to when Yugi-boy has to deal with criminals on a regular basis."

_"Criminals?"_ Uka questioned glaringly. Atem did not have time for explanations at this point.

"Let's continue on, shall we? I have to be at a meeting real soon. Let's put up a time limit. Shall we say _fifteen minutes_?" Pegasus persuasively asked as a 15:00 countdown appeared on the upper right-hand corner of the screen. "When the timer reaches 0, the one with the higher attack points wins. And, as you know, a penalty game awaits for the loser... _oh_, excuse me, I mean a _timeout_."

"Bring it!" Atem glared. "My Dark Magician still attacks!"

Dark Magician attacked the Koumori Dragon and died, leaving Pegasus with 300 life points. Atem kept his firm smirk as Pegasus drew his next card. A wide smile appeared on his face.

"I summon out my Illusionist Faceless Mage in attack mode," Pegasus declared as Atem kept his eyes narrowed. "I equip this with Eye of Illusion. _Are you ready Atem?_ I hope you are, because our monsters are about to battle."

The Dark Magician and Illusionist Faceless Mage attacked each other. With that, it ended up being a draw since Illusionist Faceless Mage was protected by Eye of Illusion. Though, there was still more to come for Atem than he knew. Something told him that there was more to this duel than met the eye. Atem watched the clock and knew he had five minutes left before the game was decided on who won _or lost._

Atem drew his next card and held a smirk saying, "I summon out Celtic Guardian in attack mode, then he'll attack your Illusionist Faceless Mage!"

"Not so fast, Atem-boy..." Pegasus smirked before being interrupted.

"WILL YOU STOP CALLING ME _THAT_!"

"Fine... _Atem_. Anyways, thanks to Eye of Illusion, I take control of your Dark Magician. _How fun!_" Pegasus grinned excitedly as he clapped his hands.

_"Aw shit!"_

Dark Magician showed the Eye of Horus in the middle of his chest. He changed to Pegasus' side of the field and attacked Celtic Guardian, destroying him and wiping out Atem's life points, which were now 200 points. Atem knew if he didn't do something quick, he was going to _lose the duel._ There was barely any time left and Atem _had_ to counter attack.

Atem drew his next card with a quick swift and thought quickly.

"I summon out Summon Skull in attack mode!" Atem declared as Summon Skull appeared with boldness as the clock reached 0.

"_Ooooooo_, so close, but the game was fun while it lasted. I must say, that was very impressive. You've shown more talent that I _ever_ expected," Pegasus grinned excitedly while clapping his two hands. Atem glared furiously with frustration _in himself._ "But, as you know, the loser gets_ a penalty game_ and you have less life points than me. I still need you to be at the tournament in order to gain control of Kaiba Corp. So, I'll have to have this penalty game affect_ someone else_. _Hmmm._" Pegasus rubbed his chin, before snapping his fingers. "I KNOW!"

All of a sudden, Solomon started feeling as though he were_ being ripped apart_ from something. His body went limp, only being caught by Tristan and Joey. Everyone stood there gasping and widening their eyes in shock. Uka made a short scream as she watched her father-in-law suddenly limping _lifelessly_. Atem and Yugi watched in horror as their grandfather suddenly stood there without _anything_ to control his body.

_"GRANDPA!"_ Atem and Yugi cried at the same time. Yugi shown tears in his eyes.

"Now, if you _do_ enter Duelist Kingdom_ and win_, I'll return your grandfather back into his old body. Though, I'll make it fair and let him stay with you," Pegasus said before giving a wave. _"Ta-ta."_

The web came was off and exited from the screen, in its place was a window that showed a video-like clip of_ Atem's grandfather_ as if he was on web cam _or video._

_"Ateeeeeem!"_ Solomon cried as Atem stared at the computer screen in pure horror. His grandfather's soul had been sealed into his computer.

"Aw shit!" Mokuba exclaimed.

"Gramps just got sucked into your computer!" Hanaski said as Uka's shock overwhelmed the woman, so much that a sigh escaped her and she fell onto the floor, or _was about to_ if not caught by Tea and Hanaski.

_"Grandpa,"_ Atem muttered, slowly standing up and about to blow a gasket. Everyone backed up, knowing what was about to happen. "THAT SON OF A BITCH! YOU'LL PAY FOR THIS PEGASUS!"

"Atem, calm down!" Tea shouted, grabbing Atem's two arms. Atem took long breaths before finally settling himself down and plopping onto the couch.

"Grandpa, I'm so... _so_ sorry," Atem muttered.

_"Aw, don't feel bad, Atem. I'm doing just fine in here! Don't get so glum over _me_!"_ Solomon glared as Atem sighed before clutching onto his legs.

"Where should we take your Ma?" Hanaski asked.

"Her room. I've got a huge amount of explaining to do when she wakes up," Atem replied as his friend nodded. The kids heard _someone_ enter the game shop, though they stood silent.

Ryan entered the room and noticed the quiet environment. He gasped when he saw Solomon on the floor _unconscious_. He ran over to Solomon's side and asked, "What the hell happened here?"

_"Watch your language, Ryan! As if you kids don't get enough bad influence as it is!"_ Solomon glared with his arms folded. Ryan stared at the screen of Solomon, than looked down at the unconscious body.

"His soul was sealed into my computer by Pegasus. He challenged me to a shadow game when I refused to participate in his mother f***ing tournament," Atem explained as he heard his grandpa clear his throat._ "Sorry."_

"So, some rich homo realizes you're not participating in some f***ing tournament, so he decides to f*** with your grandpa?" Ryan smirked before letting out a chuckle. "And I thought _Kaiba_ was a bitch."

"Ryan!" Solomon rebuked.

"Forget it, Gramps. It's like_ South Park_ at our school," Ryan said while rolling his eyes. "At least it is in _most_ of my previous schools."

"As if life wasn't hard enough already. Mokuba and I just became the big cheese for the Big Five, my grandpa's soul is in my f***ing laptop, and if I don't participate in this tournament, Grandpa will be stuck as digital pixels for the rest of his life," Atem glared deeply before letting out a sigh.

_"Stop being so negative, Atem! I'm okay, now_ aren't I?_ Mokuba's safe and I'm sure you'll be A-Okay,"_ Solomon declared with his fists on his hips. _"Besides, I don't think you'll want to visit Serenity looking so glum."_

"I suppose you're right, but... _Yugi_ still feels depressed," Atem admitted, staring at the floor.

"Really?" Tea asked in worry.

"Hm-hm," Atem nodded.

Joey stared at his friend blinkingly, and then rolled up a magazine he found on the coffee table. He made the rolled-up magazine look like a speaker phone. Joey, than put the smallest hole part of the rolled-up magazine up to his lips and shouted, "HEY YUGI! CHEER UP!" right in front of Atem, which made him jump and grab the magazine out of reflects.

Atem took the rolled-up magazine and held it in the same position Joey had it in and shouted in front of his face, "TALK NORMALLY, GENIUS! HE CAN HEAR YOU JUST FINE!" The blond tripped over backwards and landed on his bottom. Everyone gawked up laughing like crazy over that scenario.

"I wonder if Pegasus knows _anything_ about the millennium items," Ryan wondered as Atem stared at his white-haired friend cock-eyed. "I mean, _we have_ millennium items and so does this _Shadi_ you once told me about, maybe Pegasus knows something."

"You might be right," Atem agreed while rubbing his chine. "Yugi's been curious about his lost memories Ryou spoke of, maybe Pegasus knows something about how to retrieve them."

"Lost memories?" Tea questioned confounded. It then dawned on her. "You mean Yugi doesn't remember _anything_ about his past?"

"Wow, and it took you _this_ long for you to find out?" Ryan asked sarcastically with a smudge.

"Well, it's not like Yugi_ brings it up!_" Tea defended.

"Guys, I... don't mean to be rude, but... Yugi's _very_ depressed right now and..." Atem said, trying to find the right words to say.

"You want us to leave?" Joey asked understandingly.

"Pretty please?" Atem asked as Joey gave everyone a signal to leave the game shop.

Atem sighed while pulling himself up from the couch. He walked up to his room and closed the door behind him. He sat on his bed as Yugi appeared in spirit form with tears streaming down his cheeks. Atem embraced his brother in a comforting hug. Yugi stained Atem's shirt with streams of tears while feeling the warm embrace of his brother. He couldn't help, but wonder if this whole mess would've been _prevented_ if _he_ was the one who played against Pegasus.

After a while of Yugi crying, Atem dressed up for bed to be ready for tomorrow. As soon as his nightgown was on, he pulled himself under the covers and held Yugi close while he snuggled his face in Atem's chest. Atem held his brother tightly as sleep finally took over both of them. Today had been_ a very_ long day indeed.

The next day, Atem dressed himself early and got on his motorcycle, driving on his way to Joey's house. As soon as he got there, he parked his motorcycle and sat himself down in Joey's car. Joey was in the driver's seat while Atem had shotgun. Joey drove down the road, _leaving_ Domino City. The hospital, where Serenity was staying at, was several cities away near where her and Joey's mother lived.

Joey's mother, Atem still hadn't forgotten the poor dear woman. Abused harshly by Joey's drunken father and risked her life protecting her two kids. Joey's mother finally divorced her drunken husband and left with her daughter, who was near blindness since birth. Serenity was _never_ able to see clearly as a young kid, but she would always recognize Joey and Atem by their voices. It had been years and Atem's voice had cracked since then. _Would Serenity ever recognize him?_ There was too much on Atem's mind to answer that.

After about several hours, and a gas stop, Joey finally made it to_ Johnson Hospital_. The boys exited out of the car and walked down the parking lot on their way to the Hospital. They walked inside and took the elevator, knowing which floor and room number Serenity was in. Joey and Atem had to get visitor's tags before entering the hospital into a patient's room, so the doctors knew they weren't _kidnappers_.

While the boys walked down the hallway, they saw a_ familiar woman_ with light brown hair and age that was shown on her face. She looked much _older_ than Uka, who was practically her age. Atem stood in widened shock, as if he just saw a ghost. _This_ was Joey's mother, Rochell.

"Joey! _Atem!_" The woman gasped as she place her bags down and the boys gave her a hug. Atem felt emotion overwhelming him.

_"Mrs. Wheeler,"_ Atem choked out.

"Mom," Joey said in a normal voice.

_"Boys!"_ Rochell cried out in weeping tears. "I can't believe it's you!"

"Mom!" Joey cried out.

"How's Serenity?" Atem asked.

"She's been waiting for you... _Joey_. She didn't say anything about _you_, Atem. _This_ is a surprise," Rochell exclaimed.

"That's the idea," Joey chuckled before looking at his friend. "Atem wanted to visit with Serenity."

"_She_... she'd be more than happy," Rochell said with a slight smile. She placed each hand on the boys' shoulder. "Last I heard, you both were in some sort of gang... _I_... I wasn't sure if that was true, _but_..."

_"It is,"_ Atem admitted as Rochell stared at the boy. "Old news. We... _we were young._"

"I see," Rochell nodded before a sigh left her. She smiled again. "I'm so happy to see you boys again."

"Same here," Joey replied before staring at Serenity's room number.

"She's awake if you want to see her," Rochell said as the boys smiled.

Joey was the first to walk into Serenity's room. Atem followed his friend shyly, since it had been _years_ since he last saw Serenity's face. Serenity was in her hospital gown laying on a soft incline bed, its front upside. Her face was covered by the long strands of dirty blond hair that fell on her face due to that face staring at her hands on her lap. Her mouth seemed even with no emotion to it.

Atem bit the bottom of his lip as Joey walked next to his sister with a hand on her shoulder. The girl looked up at her brother with a soft smile.

"Hey Serenity," Joey greeted softly.

"Joey,_ is that you?_" Serenity asked as she reached her hands up to touch and feel the traces of his face. Since she was_ nearing blindness_, doing this was how she could _recognize_ a person or know their complection. Atem stood quiet and blank while watching Serenity feel traces of Joey's face to know it was him. "It IS _you_!"

"Hey sis. How you feeling?" Joey asked while sitting on the bed next to his sister with a strong arm around her gentle body.

"I'm fine! I just _knew_ you'd come and see me!"

_"So that's Serenity?"_ Yugi asked, who was next to his brother.

_'It is,'_ Atem replied with his arms crossed and an emotionless face staring at the young girl who was talking to her brother.

_"She's gorgeous!"_ Yugi responded. A smile peeped across his lips. _"She seems nice."_

_'She is.'_

"_Oh_, Serenity," Joey remembered right away. He looked at Atem's direction and gave a nod. Atem walked inside Serenity's room and next to Joey. "I brought a _surprise_ for you."

Atem was able to get a full glimpse of Serenity's face. Serenity looked up towards Atem's direction _oh so slowly_. Her dirty blond hair pushed back from her face from the gravity. She held a face of_ pure innocents_, much like Yugi's. Though, her hazel eyes were pointed at Atem, but scrunched, as if trying to_ get a visual picture_. Serenity's cheeks were soft from appearance, despite her hitting her late middle school age. Atem was astounded at how much _innocents_ Serenity still held after all these years.

"S... _Serenity_," Atem whispered, which could never be explained in words. He wasn't sure if Serenity would recognize him or not, but Atem was surprised _he_ _still_ could recognize this girl. The girl he once saw at ten years old and yet, she still held those_ childish innocents_, aside from the breasts, vase-shaped body, and long skinny legs. "Remember me?"

Serenity scrunched her eyes a little more while reaching her hands for Atem's face. Atem was almost taken aback on how _soft_ those fingers felt against his face. They were like the soft hands of a small child who never held a care in the world. Atem continually stared in a_ blank shock_. Serenity's face seemed focus on trying to picture the face she was _feeling_ in her head. When the girl reached her hands up to the blond bangs, that laid casually on Atem's face, a small gasp left her mouth. She slid her hands to the back of the hair that was spiked up.

_"A... Atem?"_ Serenity whispered in a gasp. Her arms were shaking and tears built up underneath her glowing eyes that were seemingly blue from where Atem was at. "_Atem_... _is_... oh my gosh!"

Immediately, Atem embraced the girl and felt her weeping on his shoulder. Atem felt like crying himself, of all the times he cried as that small ten-year-old boy watching the beautiful young girl leave before his eyes. Atem clutched a handful of Serenity's dark blond hair while the other arm was tightly, but _carefully_, around the girl's tiny waist. Serenity immediately stood up, both arms tightly around Atem's neck and still weeping on the boy's shoulder.

Atem didn't know _what_ to say _or how to react._ He just kept his grip around Serenity, trying his hardest not to cry, but luck wasn't on his side. Atem wept inside Serenity's long hair._ There was so much to say_. So much he wanted to get out, but couldn't put it in words. It wasn't just the fact he_ missed her_, but the fact that Atem knew in his heart that he was_ falling in love_ with this young girl again.

_"Serena,"_ Atem muttered in his lips, the nickname he once called Serenity. "Oh gosh! I missed you so much, it's not funny."

"I missed you too," Serenity wept, her arms slipping slowly around the arms. "I..._ last I heard_... I'm _so_ sorry!"

"About_ what?_"

"I heard you and Joey were involved in some sort of _gang_ and... I _knew_ it was because I left and you took your depression on..."

"Serenity, it was _never_ your fault and don't ever think that!"

"_He's right._ You can't make our problems _your_ fault, Serenity," Joey agreed factually. A smile peeped on his lips. "We decided to join that gang to get high and drunk. It had _nothing_ to do with you."

"To be honest, _you_ weren't even the source of the f... _messed up_ life we were facing," Atem said, wanting to restrain his lips for Serenity's sake.

"I suppose," Serenity muttered in her lips, while her head was leaned against Atem's chest. The girl looked up at the teenage boy with a slight smile. "I'm glad you decided to come."

"Same here."

Atem smiled softly before sitting on the side of the bed. Serenity climbed up on the incline bed, pulling the covers up to her waist. She peered toward Atem's direction while padding beside the bed, which had room for another person could sit. Atem nodded before kicking off his shoes and scooted on the bed right beside Serenity. Atem wrapped his left arm around Serenity before she turned her head and gave a childish smile.

Joey smiled happily, he could see that the once _puppy love_ between Atem and Serenity was _blossoming_ again. Atem needed a girlfriend who _wasn't_ a whore or had _issues_ _of her own,_ like Olivia. Serenity was still pure, so her virginity was safe and secure with no dirty thoughts in her mind. Atem lost his virginity, but knew _which girls_ to limit himself with. He especially knew that Serenity was_ off limits_ when it came to sexuality. Heck, he was restraining his own speech and he _rarely_ did that with _anyone_.

Joey walked up to the love birds and offered, "how about I get some food? I heard there's a cafe downstairs."

"_Why,_ so you can eat up our grub on the way up?" Atem asked teasingly as Serenity chuckled.

"NO! Seriously Atem, I get don't _that_ hungry."

"_Sure_ you don't," Atem smirked sarcastically while rolling his eyes. "Just make sure you don't get high along the way."

_"Very funny,"_ Joey said grimly before leaving out the door.

"So Serena, how have things been going for ya?" Atem asked while rolling his finger in Serenity's hair.

Serenity gave a slight chuckle before replying, "great, now that you and Joey are here." Atem gave a sweet smile before Serenity sighed while looking up at the ceiling. "The doctor said that I'll be permanently blind by next year unless I get my surgery done _somehow_."

"Joey and I have been saving up money for you for the past few years._ Even the times when we were having_ issues," Atem assured Serenity, with a dark tone to the last sentence. "I'm entering a tournament held by Pegasus called Duelist Kingdom."

"_Really?_ Sounds like fun," Serenity said smilingly. "What kind of _tournament_ is it?"

"It's a Duel Monsters Tournament. Have you ever heard of the game?"

"No, _not really._ Sounds like a fun game. How do you play?"

"Well, you have monsters, spells, and traps, you see. You play a monster in attack or defense position. If the attack is higher than the defense or attack points, depending on its position, the monster is killed and sent to the graveyard. The goal is to get to the opponent's life points until it reaches 0. You must use your monsters with your spells and traps to get to their life points, or defend _yours_. The winner is the person who can decrease his opponent's life points down to 0."

"Wow. It must be fun. Does _Joey_ play?"

"Yeah, but_ he still needs help_," Atem replied while rolling his eyes as Serenity chuckled in response.

"Maybe _you_ should help him."

"I'll think about it. So far he hasn't _asked_ for it," Atem shrugged. His eyebrows furrowed while staring at the foot of the bed. "If I win at Duelist Kingdom, the host Maxamillion Pegasus promises_ a large sum of money_. It'll be enough for your operation."

"Are you depending on_ winning a competition_ for my operation?" Serenity asked confounded.

"_Sort've_, but it's not _just_ the money I'm after. There... are_ other things_ I'm after," Atem admitted while messing with the millennium puzzle with his right hand. His mouth held a firm line while saying this.

"Like what?"

_"Well..."_ Atem said, not sure how he was going to explain to Serenity about Yugi and his grandfather's soul being trapped in his computer. It wasn't like there was _actual proof_ and Serenity was _nearly blind_, so it wasn't like she could _see_ Yugi being picked up a foot in the air or being given him a piggy back ride by an invisible Atem. He decided that it was safe to not tell Serenity_ right now_. "There's a dear friend of mine in the hospital who was _supposed_ to play in that competition. Since he _can't_ be there, I'm taking his place."

"Oh..._ I see_," Serenity understood, nodding her head. "For a second, I thought you were just _gambling your way_ into getting the money."

Atem gawked up laughing before replying, "actually, I got there _free_. There's no wagering _anything_."

_"Ohhhhhh,"_ Serenity nodded, before giving off a chuckle. "Well then, you should've mentioned _that_."

"Do you expect me to be a_ mind reader_?" Atem asked smirkingly.

"No, but you still should've mentioned that," Serenity smirked before the two started laughing. The door opened and Joey came out with food.

"Please tell me you didn't eat our food," Atem teased as Joey shot a death glare.

"You are _so_ insulting, you know that?" Joey glared as Serenity and Atem laughed in response.

The three teenagers ate their lunch and talked about random things that happened in life. Serenity held stories about things that happened in the hospital. She even told a story about how a patient once ran across the hall while spilling poo on the floor. Joey had to cover his mouth to keep himself from using _bad language_ in front of his sister. Atem just gawked up laughing, so hard that he was coughing several times. The teenagers even watched some episodes on TV like Seinfeld and Everybody Loves Ramon. They all laughed at every single episode.

While watching comedy shows, Serenity began leaning closer to Atem. Serenity was so close her head was leaning against Atem's shoulder. She never thought she'd _ever_ be this close with Atem again. They only shared _puppy love_ as kids after all. Serenity was starting to believe she was falling in love with Atem again, in fact _she knew_ she was, she was already showing _romantic affections_. It didn't take a rocket scientist to see _that_.

A knock was heard at the door and a nurse entered into the room. Atem sighed in disappointment, fearing that he would be kicked out of the room.

"Hello! Hello!" The nurse greeted who was perhaps in her mid twenties. She smiled happily at Serenity and the boys. "Don't worry, hon, I'm just here to check for blood and temperature."

"Oh, _ok_," Atem nodded, happy that he wasn't kicked out.

The nurse rolled some sort of machine with thermometers of red and blue and another machine that checked for blood pressure. The nurse took out the small thermometer and carefully stuck it in Serenity's mouth.

"Now, it shouldn't take long," the nurse promised before hearing a small beeping sound. She took the thermometer out, then took some sort of _weird wrapping_ and wrapped it around Serenity's upper arm. The wrapping swelled up larger and larger before shrinking in an instant. A small beep was heard, and then the nurse removed the wrapping. "_Looks normal._ That will be all."

"Thank you!" Serenity thanked the nurse before she left.

"_Eh,_ wasn't too bad," Joey shrugged before peering at his watch. "SHOOT! Atem, we have to get back or we'll be late for work!"

"_Shi._.. ooot!" Atem responded as Serenity chuckled in response.

"You know I'm not gonna cut you off for cursing _right?_" Serenity asked in a slight chuckle.

"Yeah, but..." Atem replied before taking his left arm that was around Serenity and used the hand connected to it to hold Serenity's soft cheek. "I don't want you picking up our _bad habits_."

Serenity rolled her eyes before giving Atem a tight hug. Atem held Serenity tightly close to his chest. Despite knowing the logic that Serenity wore _no perfume_, Atem never held back from his nose getting_ a big whiff_ on Serenity's neck. When they partially parted, Serenity held her two hands against the boy's cheeks while Atem held loosely on her arms.

"It was really nice seeing you again, Serenity," Joey said as Serenity smiled in response. She ran up and held her brother tightly before placing a kiss on his neck. After they parted, Joey looked toward Atem's direction. "I'll be in the car. I'll let you say your _goodbyes_."

Joey left out the room as Atem and Serenity faced each other, and then laced their fingers together. They stared at each others' faces, even _Serenity_, despite her near blindness. Atem wanted to do _something_ before leaving to Duelist Kingdom. It had just occurred to him on his mind at_ this particular moment._

"Serena, I'll see you again," Atem promised before Serenity placed a kiss on his cheek. He smiled at that, then cupped that gentle face. "_This time_ it won't be five or six years."

Serenity giggled before feeling soft lips against hers. What she _wasn't_ prepared for was that tongue licking her lips like a Popsicle. She felt a tingling feeling inside her vagina that felt like_ a tickle_. Serenity couldn't figure out why, but she was wanting _more_. Her hands grabbed a hold of Atem's shoulder blades to bring herself closer and try this_ new type_ of kiss. Serenity gaped her mouth to taste those beautiful lips. She was chuckling slightly while they were kissing _oh so deeply_. They were both giggling during their kiss_ and after._

Atem felt embarrassed about kissing Serenity without even teaching her _how _to kiss. She was probably startled and confused with her hormones. At least she wasn't _freaking out_ or anything.

"I guess I should've warned ya," Atem said, giggling with red cheeks. "_That_ must've been entertaining."

"Don't worry about a thing," Serenity assured while still chuckling. She and Atem hugged again before using one hand to lace their fingers once more. As Atem slowly was walking away from Serenity, their fingers slowly _unlaced_ until they were barely touching, and then were far apart. Serenity smiled softly while watching Atem walk away toward the elevator to head for home. Serenity then whispered,_ "if only I can see your face."_


	4. Fate on the High Seas!

**Ello ladies and gentlemen! I'm guilty of all charges for making a shadowshipping fan fiction here lol. I'd do vaseshipping or survantshipping, except Mana's not in this particular time line and Dark Magician Girl is used as a Duel Monster Card. So yeah, shadowshipping all the way in this story. Review please!**

Atem made it home to the game shop after his visit with Serenity. He parked his motorcycle before entering into the house. Uka was sitting on the couch, staring at Atem's laptop. Atem sighed deeply, knowing it was time for explanations. He couldn't explain before, because his mother slept throughout the whole night, not that Atem blamed her.

Atem sat next to his mother and connected a connector to his iPhone on one end and to his computer on the other end. His grandfather was looking at his grandson curiously since he could only see Atem through the web cam on his lap top. It was hard to tell what he was doing or _trying_ to do.

"I'm gonna download you into my iPhone, so I can communicate to you while at Duelist Kingdom. Nobody will notice anything strange about me talking to you on the screen since it is _an iPhone_," Atem explained before clicking on the information bar, and then on _"download"_. A screen popped up and it was showing several hard drives to download the video into. Atem clicked on _MotoiPhone_, which was located under hard drive.

"I see," Solomon nodded, thinking that it was a smart idea. "I explained to your mother what's been going on with you since you solved the millennium puzzle. At least ones _I_ know of."

_"Ah."_

"She wants to have a talk with you."

"I know," Atem replied without emotion. He was waiting for the download to be complete. After a while, his grandfather disappeared from the laptop and shown onto Atem's iPhone. "How you feeling there?"

"As fine as usual," Solomon grinned in reply, which made Atem chuckle slightly. "How was your visit with Serenity."

"Great. She was _really_ happy to see me. I just hope I win this game and just not to get your soul back, which is my main priority. If I win, I also get a large sum of money, which will be enough for Serena's operation."

"_Serena?_ you haven't called her that in _ages_. Don't tell me you're falling for her again," Solomon smirked teasingly as a faint shade of pink was shown on Atem's cheeks. The grandfather chuckled for a long while. "I guess when I get out of this thing, I'll have to go buy some condoms."

_"Shut up!"_ Atem smirked while hearing his grandfather laughing carefree.

"_What?_ You expect me to be stuck here without having just a _little_ fun."

Atem rolled his eyes, giving off a slight chuckle. He noticed his mother still sitting on the couch with so much to take in on her shoulders. Atem sighed deeply while putting his two front fingers on the corners of his forehead.

"Hey, you should talk to your mother. You can turn me off and it'll be like going to sleep and waking up," Solomon suggested as Atem nodded and turned his phone off. He placed the device on the coffee table before leaning back against the couch.

Uka stared at the upside down pyramid around Atem's neck. Atem cradled the object with his right hand as if it was an antique, and it actually _was_ an antique. Uka placed her hand against Atem's cheek as tears started rolling down her cheeks.

"Atem, I feel so helpless. I've tried _so hard_ to protect you from so much harsh cruelties the world has to offer. Time after time, I see you with worse heartache. Now, you're carrying the life of your grandpa, a company, a small boy, and an ancient spirit I know _nothing_ about," Uka admitted before embracing her son in a tight hug.

"Mom, I'm sorry I never told you. _I..._ I knew you wouldn't be able to believe all of this, let alone take it in," Atem admitted.

"I know, I wouldn't have believed this. _Who would?_" Uka asked rhetorically with a soft smile. She pushed herself from Atem, still holding his two shoulder blades. "But are you _sure_ you want to carry out all these responsibilities?"

"I _want_ to, Ma," Atem said with determination in his voice. "Just... promise me you'll treat Yugi as if he was _your own_ son." Uka raised her eyebrows as if she was being asked a stupid question. "_Yugi_... he has no memories of his past, where he came from, how he got here. All he remembers was being in a dark empty tomb for 3000 years and the rest with my grandpa in a dark shelf or in my room, trying to communicate with me, but can't because I had not yet _solved_ the puzzle." Atem noticed his mother was showing a face of pity. "He couldn't even _touch_ me. Mom, I want you to treat him like he was my twin brother... _your son_."

"Of course I will! Why wouldn't I?" Uka replied before noticing a glowing tent in the puzzle and the face she cupped shown childish features. The face she beheld was _softer_ and not firm and narrow. Crystal tears slowly rolled down those soft cheeks and a joyful smile appeared on this face.

_"Really?"_ Yugi asked with joy in his heart before glomping Uka, arms around her neck. She held the boy in her arms, grasping memories of when she used to hold Atem like this.

"I said _yes_ didn't I... _Yugi right?_" Uka asked as Yugi wiped his tears and nodded. The mother kissed this small boy on his forehead and he gave a small childish smile. "Then don't worry about a thing."

"Ok!" Yugi replied with a huge grin. Mokuba came from the kitchen with a small smile.

"How 'bout I get Atem prepared for the duel? I may not be as good at Duel Monsters as my brother, but I still got skills," Mokuba offered.

"Brother and I will have to prepare for when facing Pegasus," Yugi said, taking out his brother's deck and staring at it. "We'll have to come up with a _new_ strategy, different from last time. Something Pegasus won't expect. Most importantly, we have to fight _fairly_ with the other players. We agreed to take turns in dueling the other players, depending on whom we _want_ to fight."

"What if you both want to fight?" Mokuba asked.

"We'll play Rock, Paper, Scissors," Yugi replied with a grin. "But most likely, we won't have to do _that_. We usually decide already on which one of us will duel whom."

"Like Death-T?"

"_And_ the Shadow Games," Yugi added. Uka raised her eyebrows at this point, knowing what _shadow games_ were by Solomon.

"Atem plays Shadow Games too?" Uka asked baffled.

"Yep," Yugi replied, nodding his head. "He can give _timeouts_ as well. Though, he's still working on _controlling_ the dark powers. I think Brother is starting to get the hang of it."

"What _kind_ of powers?"

"_Shadow powers._ They're originated from the Shadow Realm. Like a second prison for criminals, you know? They were used alot back in my day, but unfortunately, we don't have _anyone_ familiar with the Shadows, so Brother has to teach _himself_."

"What happens if he doesn't learn to control them?"

_"Uh..."_ Yugi replied, trying to find the _right_ answer for Uka. "Well... Brother might _kill_ someone accidentally. Though, that's only _a relief_ if that is the worst."

_"What do you mean?"_ Mokuba asked curiously.

"If Brother doesn't learn to control his powers, _they_ will control him. In other words, he'll be just as bad, if not worse, as Bakura," Yugi explained.

"DANG!" Mokuba responded with widened eyes. "You mean like sealing souls into dolls?"

Yugi shook his head before saying, "it's best if you _didn't_ know the worst. It's _really_ bad. Only those with _kind_ souls with hardly _any_ evil thoughts can use millennium items _for good_. Brother's soul room maybe filled with darkness, but he can use it for good and not evil."

"That's kinda somethin'," Mokuba thought as Yugi nodded. "Well, are we gonna stand here or are we gonna play?"

Yugi grinned before him and Mokuba ran to the kitchen table to warm up for the competition. They had played Duel Monsters for a while, while Uka was thinking over about what _just happened_ though the past twenty-four hours. Atem and Yugi prepared themselves for a week before the ship arrived. Atem would play with Joey, Tristan, Hanaski, Ryan, or Tea. Yugi would play along once and a while, since _he also_ needed to prepare.

After a week, Atem decided to open the package to prepare himself. It would be only several hours before the ship arrived. He found four cards identical to Duel Monsters Cards. There was also a blue glove with ten crests that were shaped like stars, circling the bottom part of the glove. Two star chips were also found in the box. Everyone: Uka, Mokuba, Joey, Tristan, Tea, Hanaski, and Ryan cocked their eyebrows curiously at the items.

"This card shows Duelist Kingdom, I'm guessing," Atem said, before glancing at the next card. "This one tells the time and date of the ship's arrival."

"Nine-o-clock _at night?_" Uka glared with her arms crossed.

"Now why do I get the feeling we're riding_ 'Party and Rape me'_ ship?" Tristan asked sarcastically.

"I think Pegasus is preparing us for when he molests us. I mean he already stole Grandpa's soul, if he steals any of ours, that just proves my point," Atem thought as his friends chuckled at the thought.

"_Just steal my soul and rape me._ I suppose he can get away with that kind of shit," Ryan smirked before Uka shot him a glare. _"I'm just saying."_

"Anyhow, we have to take the ship to Duelist Kingdom or we'll _never_ free Grandpa's soul," Atem declared as everyone nodded in agreement.

"Just be careful when you go on that ship _okay_," Uka warned her son as he nodded. "And you better not be _messing around_ like when you with that awful gang."

"Mom, I'm not gonna f*** with any whores on the ship," Atem promised with a glaring face. "Besides, Yugi's a virgin and I'm not gonna f*** up his mind with that kind of crap, _excuse my french_."

Uka glared with folded up arms. She knew her son wasn't like that anymore, but she still couldn't trust her son's _temptations_. He may've left the gang, but Atem still held trials of thinking _horny thoughts_. Though, there was no denying that he was keeping them to a minimum for Yugi's sake. Uka was starting to pity Yugi for having to put up with Atem's _nasty_ thoughts.

When nine-o-clock came, Atem and his friends waited by the pier. Mokuba stood by Atem's side, holding his hand. Atem didn't let that kid out of his sight, especially when it was late at night. There were a bunch of teenagers gathering around. Most with their parents, _thank goodness_. The rest were with their friends or were _loners_. Most of them were also male, so Atem didn't have to worry about _slutty women_ on the ship, _or so he thought._

The ship finally arrived and the walkway was set up for the cruisers to go onto the ship. At the end of the entrance to the ship, was Kimo, though his hair was redone, and the very front of it was pointier than the tip of a pencil.

_"Is it just me, or does his his hairdo look more retarded than Joey's?"_ Ryan asked Atem in a whisper.

"HEY! I HEARD _THAT_!" Joey glared at the white-haired boy.

"_Attention Duelists!_ Industrial Illusions welcomes you to the grand tournament Duelist Kingdom!" Kimo announced as everyone cheered. **AN: Not a littlekuriboh joke, he really _does_ say this in the manga! Lol freaky huh?** "Through research of records from tournaments and _unofficial_ duels, we have chosen the best duelists that Japan has to offer! Each of you has a chance to win the one, and only, chance to duel the creator, Maxamillion Pegasus! Now, is the time to cross overseas and win that chance! ARE YOU READY, DUELISTS?"

Everyone cheered loudly while Atem and his friends just stood there without emotion. They happened to hear _a mocking laughter_ coming from behind. Atem eyed behind him and noted a tall, curly-haired blond chick who could be mistaken as one of Atem's ex girlfriends or whom he called his _"sex partners."_ She wore a sleeveless _and shoulder-seen_ shirt that seemed laced from the front. Her cleavage was _easily_ shown to where any guy could peer what was under that. A jacket was worn over her to cover the arms and shoulders, leaving _only_ her cleavage to show. The woman had a mini skirt that was shorter than Tea's with high-hosed high-heeled boots that reached almost to her knees. Red lipstick was painted on her smirking lips.

"It's like a Pep Rally for little brats, but I suppose _that_ shouldn't be a surprise," the woman smirked smugly. "There doesn't seem to be real competition _yet_."

"_You're_ a duelist?" Atem asked in shock, glancing at Mai's huge breasts. _"Dang!"_

Atem's friends, Joey, Tristan, and Ryan turned around and turned bug-eyed. Mostly eying on Mai's breasts. They were having a _googly-eyed_ moment. Mai smirked widely while walking to Atem. She noted on his muscle tone that would make _very fine abs_ in her book. Her eyelids were half closed as she snapped her fingers in front of Atem's eyes that were _directed_ at her cleavage.

"You're Atem right?" Mai asked with a half smile with one hand on her hip. Atem was able to focus on the woman's face.

"Yes," Atem replied plainly.

_"Wow, she's hot!"_ Yugi said.

_'Hot? Yugi, her breasts are bigger than _you_,'_ Atem noted, then asided his _horny thoughts_.

"What a surprise! I heard you beat Kaiba. _Veeeeery_ impressive," Mai winked flirtatiously.

"Great, so what's your name?"

"Mai Valentine. Top notch duelist. I'm only here for five things: _in it to win it_," Mai smirked with her hand opened wide while snapping her fingers down while saying 'in it to win it' like counting those words. The three other boys _continually_ drooled over the woman.

"Excuse me, Maim! My name is Tristan, _best friend of the _famous Atem," Tristan grinned.

"I'm Joey!" Joey introduced himself.

Mai flipped her hair at the two boys and said, "_whatever._ In a duel, it doesn't matter _who_ my opponent is, they _will_ be crushed. Especially, if they _look at my breasts_ on a regular basis."

"If you didn't want guys lookin at ya, then why implant them in the first place?" Atem smirked as Mai's face turned red.

"MY BREASTS ARE _NOT_ FAKE!"

"By the way, nice perfume. Though, it's kinda _strong_ from where I'm standing," Atem said, fanning his hand in front of his nose, crinkling it. Mai rolled her eyes in annoyance.

_"You're hilarious,"_ Mai replied grimly. She walked off to the ship while holding out a wave. "See ya later, boys!"

"_Damn_, she's hot!" Ryan said. A smirk appeared on his lips. "Even Ryou was staring at those hulking things."

"YOU BOYS ARE _SUCH_ IDIOTS!" Tea yelled at the four boys as Atem rolled his eyes.

"Geez Tea, take a breather _will ya?_ It's not like your so called _boyfriend_ was staring," Atem smirked as Tea kept her facial expression. "Though, he agrees that she looks like a slut. I think we're gonna find ourselves a couple of horny guys out here tonight."

_"A couple?"_ Joey smirked sarcastically with his arms crossed. The guys started laughing.

"Why do I bother hanging out with a couple of _idiots_ for brains?" Tea started asking herself.

Everyone gathered aboard onto the ship and it sailed off, after the blow of the loud horn that could blow off any eardrums. Kimo and other men showed the duelists where they would all be rooming. While following the men, Atem happened to have _two boys_ bump into him. Atem looked from behind and noticed the two boys. One had blue hair, glasses, a coat, with a sneaky look to him. The other had long hair, a snow cap, and a vest over a long sleeved shirt. He also had _sneakiness_ on his face.

"Excuse me, are _you_ Atem?" the blue-haired boy asked.

"Yes?" Atem replied.

"I'm Weevil," the blue-haired kid introduced.

"And _I'm_ Rex," the long haired kid introduced himself.

"Nice to meet you," Atem replied.

"Did you watch the Grand Tournament a week ago?" Weevil asked with bragginess in his tone.

"Not really," Atem replied with a shrug. "I hold down two jobs, so I don't get time to watch tournaments. I think I've _heard_ of you on the radio though. _You_ hold an insect deck while your friend holds a dinosaur deck. _Am I right?_"

"That's right!" Rex smirked widely.

"_I_ won the Grand Tournament last week," Weevil bragged with a smirk.

"Congrats. I'm looking forward to dueling you," Atem smirked.

"Same here," Weevil replied with his eyes casually close. He opened them before continuing his talk. "So, did you hear about the _new rules_ introduced in Duel Monsters, that are being played in this tournament?"

_"New rules?"_ Atem asked cock-eyed.

"Yep. Not sure on the details, but from what I hear, this tournament will require _more_ strategy than before," Weevil smirked as Atem rose his eyebrows.

"Who cares!" Rex smirked aloud with excitement in his voice. "There's only one rule I follow: _kill or be killed_."

"YOU HAVE _GOT_ TO BE F***ING KIDDING ME!" Joey glared bug-eyed while pointing to a large room with boxed-like shelves on the very left. "WE HAVE TO SLEEP _THERE_?"

"Yep. It's official: this definitely cries_ 'rape me babe, I'm ready to be striped down!'_" Atem smirked dryly as his friends gawked up laughing. Tea turned cherry red.

"YOU HAVE GOT TO BE F***ING KIDDING ME! I AIN'T GONNA SLEEP BY A BUNCH OF IDIOT HORNY GUYS! WHERE THE HELL AM I GONNA _CHANGE_ AT?" Tea complained as the guards raised their eyebrows with sweat on their faces.

"Don't know, but something tells me these guys got the job as _child molesters_," Atem smirked as the guards' heads started boiling.

"THIS HAS GOT TO BE A F***ING JOKE!" Mai complained with her face boiling hot. "You expect me to spend the night with a bunch of losers?"

"Well, I'm sure _you're_ pretty used to it by now, are ya honey?" Atem smirked mockingly.

"SHUT THE F*** UP YOU F***ING PERVERT!" Mai yelled in Atem's face as Atem crossed his arms with a smudgy smirk and a dark chuckle.

"Sucks to be you, _we_ get to have _our own_ luxury rooms since we're already competitors," Rex bragged, then his eyes turned to Mai flirtatiously. "Of course, _you_ can come check out _my_ room, if ya want to."

Mai smirked deviously, then walked up in front of Rex with her perky smirk and flirted, "Aw, how _sweet_. I'd _love_ to check out _your_ room."

_"Sweet,"_ Rex grinned with raised eyebrows like he was going to _get lucky_ tonight. Mai and Rex left to the location of the luxerious room where Rex was staying.

_"Lucky!"_ Tristan growled.

"Not really. I've been in her shoes before. She's planning on using her_ flirtation skills_ to kick the guy out and take his room," Atem explained before showing a smirk. "Good riddance for him then."

"_Whatever._ This room might be better for you than our rooms anyways," Weevil explained while pointing his face at the duelists who were trading cards.

"I see, everyone's trading cards to improve their deck," Atem realized before showing a smirk. "Still cries out _'rape,'_ especially with a _female_ on board."

"Look, we'll get a room for the young lady if you promise to _shut the hell up!_" One of the guards, with a boiled hot face, shouted in _embarrassment_.

"Fair enough," Atem shrugged as Tea walked with the two guards, but not before waving goodbye.

"Looks like your friends are fitting themselves in _very well_," Weevil smirked, pointing his finger at Joey, Tristan, and Hanaski, who were trading cards. "Nice group by the way." With that, Weevil left to his room.

After the three friends traded their Duel Monster Cards, all the friends gathered around in a circle. The only person missing was Tea, since the guards decided to give the girl a room to herself to prevent anyone from _suing them_. The room was filled with nothing, but males, so they were more comfortable in changing into their nightgowns. The friends were talking and telling scary stories like they were around the campfire.

After a while, Atem walked to the front of the ship with the wind blowing against his hair. Hanaski walked up next to his friend with a bright smile on his face. Atem _immediately_ changed into Yugi and the friends stood side by side.

"I've always wanted to be on a ship like _this_," Hanaski said.

"Me too!" Yugi grinned, sniffing in the fresh ocean air.

"I noticed you _or Atem_ didn't trade with anyone, why is that?"

"Brother and I agree that our deck is perfect just the way it is. It's one that _we've_ built together," Yugi explained with a soft smile. "You know, it feels like yesterday we first met and became friends."

"Same here. I've always wanted a best friend and one just happened to have appeared."

"I'm glad you're my friend, Hanaski. You're the bestest friend a kid could have," Yugi grinned as Hanaski returned one and they hugged each other like toddlers before laughing.

_"Hey Atem!"_ Weevil called from the far side of the ship. Yugi ran to Weevil, trying to keep his brother's appearance. He was getting better at _pretending_ to be Atem.

"Need anything?" Yugi asked.

"I was just hoping maybe we could trade," Weevil invited as Yugi grinned.

_'You think we can trade? I mean he did _ask_,'_ Yugi asked his brother from their mind link.

_"I suppose,"_ Atem allowed, while shrugging his shoulders.

Yugi and Weevil peered at their decks. Weevil's eyes widened when he saw the five cards of Exodia. Nobody had _ever_ collected the five pieces of Exodia before. Weevil had remembered that _these_ were the cards Atem used to beat Seto Kaiba on TV. Apparently, Seto had recorded the _whole_ duel with him and Atem. That _duel_ was made known throughout the whole country of Japan.

Weevil took out the five Exodia cards, wondering _what_ he could trade for these. All of a sudden, Joey came running like a banshee toward Yugi's and Weevil's direction.

"ATEM!" Joey called. Yugi quickly changed into Atem, _unknowingly_ to Weevil, and his friend smashed right into him, knocking him against Weevil, who held_ the five Exodia cards_ in his right had. The cards slipped right out of Weevil's hands and fell off the ship.

"YOU IDIOT SON OF A BITCH! YOU MADE ME DROP THOSE EXODIA CARDS!" Weevil shouted at Joey.

_"F***!"_ Atem shouted while watching his five Exodia cards slowly fall toward the sea. "At least it wasn't Dark Magician." While saying this, Joey immediately dived right into the sea to retrieve the cards that slipped out of Weevil's hands. _"JOOOOOEEEEEY!"_

"That son of a bitch!" Weevil glared at the diving blond. "Your friend is f***ing _crazy_!"

_"JOEY!"_ Hanaski cried with worry in his eyes. He turned to Atem. "We have to get a life preserver!"

"THEN DON'T JUST _STAND THERE_ LIKE AN IDIOT!" Atem shouted at his friend as he quickly nodded and ran out to get a floating ring.

Atem, Hanaski, and Weevil worked together into pulling Joey out of the sea, who only retrieved only _two_ of the Exodia cards that were soggy anyways. Joey was wrapped in a warm towel, shivering and feeling _extremely_ guilty for having to throw away the Exodia cards, even if it was _by accident_.

"Sorry about letting the cards slip. I suppose it's partially _my_ fault," Weevil smirked as Atem gave a nod.

"Well, I thank you for helping me rescue my friend. _You_ will be the first I'll duel," Atem promised with a slight smirk.

"Then it's a done deal. In return, if _you_ win, I'll give up my position in this tournament. I feel if I can't beat you _or Kaiba_, than I'm not qualified to be a _true_ duelist. Heck, you can even have the cards and glove Pegasus sent to me through the mail!" Weevil shrugged with a slight and crook chuckle.

"If you are willing to gamble at those stakes, than I accept," Atem nodded before Weevil left back to his private room. Atem glared at his blond friend before punching him in the gut. "YOU _IDIOT_! DON'T _EVER_ DO THAT AGAIN! YOU ALMOST GAVE ME A HEART ATTACK!"

_"Neh!"_ Joey cringed from his friend's gut-punch. "I wanted to help retrieve those cards. I know they mean alot to you."

"Not as much as the life of a _dear friend_," Atem said while putting two hands on Joey's shoulder blades. The friends than embraced for a hug. "Don't EVER do that again. If I have to choke you to death, I will, just don't do that again!"

"Ok man, gee. You're pretty feisty."

"Gee, I wonder _why_," Atem said sarcastically while rolling his eyes.

The next day, the kids made it to Duelist Kingdom, waiting for the greatest adventure of their lives. Everyone slept in the trading card room inside their sleeping bags. Even though they were scrunched in a room with other duelists, they were prepared for camping. They brought a tent and everything. However, on the ship, they just slept in their sleeping bags. Ryan and Atem had to not have their brothers _snuggle_ as much, so they wouldn't have the other kids give them blank stares.

While everyone got ready for bed, Atem and his friends noticed Rex entering inside the Trading Card room, cursing about some _bitch kicking him out of his own room_. Atem guessed it was Mai Valentine. He _had_ to chuckle over _that_ one. Normally, Atem would've gone to the room to retrieve it back for Rex, but Mai was _a girl_ and she needed closed doors _more_ than Rex did.

Mokuba was still having nightmares, even _during_ the trip. Atem scooted his sleeping bag right next to Mokuba's to sooth the kid back to sleep. There was a long day ahead of them and Atem knew this was only_ the beginning._


	5. The Great Moth

**As much as I hate Weevil, I didn't want to make Yugi look gullible like the anime and the manga. So yeah, I made him less gullible and more smarter. In this chapter, Atem duels against Weevil, but he doesn't put his life on the stake. I just think that's plain crazy. I mean really? And his friends just didn't say anything? I'd be saying a few things about those stakes. **

**By the way, just a little review, the Duel Monsters game does not apply to the rules we use. This is when Duel Monsters got its start. This is also the start of field spells. They were called field bonuses, so yeah. Review please!**

The ship finally reached Duelist Kingdom and everyone on board exited out. Rex was looking even more grumpy, especially since he was both kicked out of his room and couldn't get _any_ good sleep. Weevil was laughing his head off over that. Tea had excellent sleep since she slept on a comfortable bed and showered before exiting from the ship.

Atem and his friends walked together to exited off the ship. While walking off the ship, Joey let out a _huge_ sneeze, before sniffing like he was smelling some onions.

"You are an _idiot_, you know that?" Atem glared at Joey.

"Yeah, seriously, what were you _thinking_ jumping overboard like that for five damn cards?" Mokuba asked with a glare on his face.

"Hey! If your brother's Blue-Eyes was in the sea, you'd do the same thing!" Joey defended.

"He's got a point," Ryan smirked with his arms crossed. He then glared at Joey's direction. "Still, what the hell were you _thinking_?"

"I was thinking of saving my best friend's damn cards that mean so much to him!" Joey replied grimly.

"Forget about it guys," Atem said, trying to stop the argument. "We've got _other_ important things to worry about, like winning this tournament."

"He's right!" Tea agreed as the boys stood quiet. "Let's just win the tournament and help Atem win back Gramp's soul and the money for Serenity."

Finally, every duelist was at the front entrance to Duelist Kingdom. There was a balcony over the gate that looked like the gate to _a castle_. Atem had to give Pegasus credit for his taste of structure. Even his friends agreed that the tournament decorations looked neat.

One of Pegasus' guards came farward and announced, "Welcome to Duelist Kingdom! Let us welcome the one, the only, Maxamillion Pegasus!"

Everyone cheered loudly as Pegasus stepped forward. Atem glared at the rich millionaire with hatred in his eyes. This was the guy that sealed his grandfather's soul into his computer and had Seto's old employers attack the mansion to kidnap Mokuba. Atem couldn't forgive Pegasus for what he did.

"Hello everyone! It's so nice for you to join my tournament!" Pegasus greeted as everyone cheered aloud. "Now, let me explain the rules. Each of you has a duelist glove. Right now, place it on your right hand. The crests on the collar of the glove are where to place your star chips. Each of you have two to start with and are to gamble them in every challenge you face against one another. Remember, if you lose all your star chips, you're kicked off the island."

"At least we know he's not _completely_ trapping us," Atem smirked with his arms crossed while putting on his duel glove.

"You all have 48 hours to gain all 10 star chips and enter inside my castle. If you don't have all 10 star chips by the end of 48 hours, you're automatically _eliminated_ off the island. I will send a ship to take you home back to Japan!" Pegasus declared.

"Two points on not trapping us," Atem smirked, showing off two front fingers on his right hand while folding his arms.

"The winner of this competition will get to face me. If you defeat me, not only will you receive a grand total of _one million dollars_, but you'll receive a _special surprise_, The Honors of the Left Hand, in which you will be declared _Yu-Gi-Oh_ King of Games!" Pegasus declared.

"That's right, you have two other cards. The Honors of the Right Hand, the booty, and The Honors of the Left Hand, which is a blank," Mokuba remembered from looking at Atem's cards from the mail.

"I've got a_ bad feeling_ about this _blank_ card," Atem said, looking at the card received from Pegasus from the mail. "Especially since it's not telling us what this card means."

"Whatever it means, winning this tournament will save Gramps and my sister. We've got nothing to lose!" Joey declared.

"True," Atem agreed, smiling at his friend.

"Now! Let the tournament begin!" Pegasus announced with his arms spread as the gates opened and everyone rushed inside.

Atem and his friends ran through the gates and inside the tournament playing field. Many of the duelists seemed confused about what was going on. Though, the pro duelists seemed to know _most_ of everything that's going on. Even Atem's friends were confused. They all sat on rocks and talked.

"So, _now what?_" Hanaski wondered.

"Beats me. I'd like some f***ing dueling already!" Ryan complained.

"There has to be a place to duel at," Tea thought with her arms folded, trying to think.

"So far, I got nothing," Joey said, looking dumfounded.

"That's because you guys are nothing but _amateurs_," Weevil smirked from behind as everyone gasped and stared at Weevil. "Not including Atem, of course."

"Thanks, but I'd like to know where to duel at. You'd think they'd be more _specific_ about that," Atem said with folded arms.

"Just look around!" Weevil replied while shrugging. "Here, I know a place we can duel at. You _did_ promise to duel me first."

"True. Can you show me?" Atem asked as Weevil moved his finger back and forth before running into a forest. Atem followed his opponent and spotted a Duel Box next to Weevil. He smirked widely.

_"Impressive."_

"You just have to look. In every tournament there's _always_ a place to duel at."

"I figured, but then again, they didn't have rooms to separate the girls from the guys on the ship."

"True," Weevil shrugged, still chuckling over Atem ticking the guards off with his insults of a _rapist ship._

Weevil and Atem entered inside the Duel Box and sat across from each other. Joey, Hanaski, Tea, Mokuba, Tristan, and Ryan watched from the outside of the Duel Box. While the opponents shuffled their decks, the gang heard a rustle from the trees. There, in the flesh, was Mai Valentine with her perky smirk. Every single male, except Mokuba, was _goggling_ over the blond woman.

"Man, what a _babe_!" Tristan drooled.

"You guys are such idiots!" Tea glared.

"Surprisingly, I couldn't agree more," Mai smirked before eying Weevil and Atem, who were about to duel. "Well, so two champions are playing a duel against each other. _This_ should be interesting."

"Glad to see a whore with breast implants coming to watch us duel," Atem smirked.

"MY BREASTS ARE _NOT_ FAKE!" Mai yelled.

"What are _breast implants_?" Mokuba asked.

"I'll tell you after I finish my duel," Atem promised. He gave Weevil's deck back while the insect boy gave his opponent back his deck. "Ready for this?"

"I'm ready, but we have to wager our star chips. _Rules are rules_," Weevil shrugged as he put down two star chips, including Atem. "Whoever wins gets kicked out of the tournament."

"Now, I'm _definitely_ staying here. This should be good," Mai thought with one hand on her hip. "I hope you don't stare at my breasts this time."

"Only if you don't stare at my abs," Atem smirked as Mai's face turned cherry red and everyone gawked up laughing.

"Whoa, he got you _there_!" Tristan laughed.

"I didn't even think it was _possible_ for girls to get horny," Hanaski said.

"WOULD YOU BOYS SHUT THE F*** UP?" Mai yelled as they're pupils shrunk.

"Of course it's _possible_, otherwise I wouldn't have a record of f***ing three girls in a day," Atem bragged as Hanaski and Mokuba turned wide-eye.

"I f***ed five guys in a day, so I guess that makes _me_ more attractive than you," Mai smirked.

"At least I don't get implants. I'm _naturally_ sexy."

"FOR THE LAST TIME, MY BREASTS ARE _NOT_ FAKE!"

_"Riiiiiiight,"_ the boys, except Mokuba, smirked with their arms crossed.

_"Don't believe you!"_ Tristan added with his index finger pointed up.

"_Oh please!_ Let's just duel already! I'm getting bored," Weevil said grimly as the two opponents placed five cards in their hand. "By the way, did you get the info on _the new rules_?"

_"Hm,"_ Atem thought while furrowing his eyebrows. "The field seems to be _foresty_. I'm guessing _this_ affects our monsters?"

"Indeed, it gives curtain monsters a power boost. _A field bonus_," Weevil explained as Atem gave a smirk.

"The wastelands could help some of my undead monsters," Atem smirked, looking at a _specific monster_ in his hand. "I'll let you go first Weevil."

"Very well, I summon my Killer Needle in attack mode!" Weevil announced, summoning his insect monster. "His power is boosted by the field bonus!"

"I'll have my Mammoth Graveyard summoned in attack mode!" Atem declared as a huge mammoth skeleton appeared on his field. "He gets a bonus from the wasteland field bonus."

"Our monsters are the same, but the bonus gives them a boost up. The forest field bonus is 80% while wasteland is only 20%. Are you sure your Mammoth can stand a chance against my Killer Needle?" Weevil questioned with a sickly grin.

"_We'll see._ My mammoth attacks your insect!" Atem declared as both monsters collided and were both destroyed. The teenager shrugged, "I guess that answers _that_ question. Both of us take no damage."

_"Daaaamn!"_ Joey responded.

"My turn!" Weevil declared as he drew his next card. "I play Hercules Beetle in attack mode!"

Atem looked at his cards while drawing his next card from his deck, being his turn. There were no monsters in his hand that would give him a power boost advantage. He decided to try a combo. A smirk appeared on his lips as he summoned out his next monster.

"I play Feral Imp in attack mode!" Atem declared as Feral Imp appeared before he got out his spell card. "Then I equip it to Horn of the Unicorn, which boosts it up. He attacks your beetle!"

"Are you _stupid_? The field bonus makes it to where _my beetle_ attacks first!" Weevil glared as Atem rose two eyebrows, blushing in embarrassment.

"Uh... _sorry_," Atem said as Weevil rolled his eyes.

"My monster attacks your monster, using his special ability to destroy any monster and take away your life points by subtracting the difference from your monster's _original_ attack points."

"Shit!" Atem glared as Hercules Beetle attacked Feral Imp, destroying it and leaving him with 1350 life points left.

"Come on Atem, squash this bug already!" Ryan glared.

"Yeah, show him what ya made of!" Joey cheered.

_"Paleeese!"_ Mai glared smugly with her arms crossed and her eyes darting from the group's direction.

"I'll play Griffor and end my turn," Atem declared as Giffor appeared in defense mode.

"Looks like you're already falling apart," Weevil smirked mockingly. "I'll play Basic Insect in attack mode and equip it with my spell card Laser Cannon Armor." Basic Insect appeared on the field in attack mode, whose attack points were 2000. "And I'll add it's strength with the field bonus." Basic Insect had now 2600 attack points. "Even though it's small, it can be _very_ powerful. _You_ should know, of all people." Basic Insect destroyed Atem's Giffor before Weevil ended his turn.

"I haven't given up yet!" Atem said before drawing his next card. "I place Saiga in defense mode!"

"Then I'll place one card face-down," Weevil smirked sneakily. Atem eyed on the face-down card on his opponent's field, which was under the Spell and Trap Card Zone.

_"It looks like a trap,"_ Yugi said.

_'Looks like it. I'll have to play it safe, for now,'_ Atem thought. Then, he came up with an idea. "I'll also place one card face-down. Your turn!"

"You seem very desperate, playing _a spell card_!" Weevil smirked before drawing his next card. "I play Pillroach in defense mode. Just _try_ to attack it! I _DARE_ YOU! I'll just keep playing more _and more_ monsters."

Weevil kept bringing in more of his insect monsters while Atem kept bringing in his monsters in _defense_ mode. He had to think of a plan, a way to stop Weevil. If not, then Solomon's soul would be forever trapped in Atem's phone and Serenity will _never_ get that operation done. The bugs were really starting to annoy Atem _big time._

"I must be really _bugging_ you huh?" Weevil asked mockingly. "Get it? _Bugging!_"

"You have odd humor," Atem glared before drawing his next card. "I place Dark Magician in defense mode."

"Dark Magician, is that your favorite and _trump_ card? I'll destroy it with my insect army!" Weevil grinned deviously. "Attack, my _glorious_ insect army!"

"TRAP! Mirror Force!" Atem declared, flipping his trap card as a shield appeared to protect his monsters. The attack repelled and destroyed _all_ of Weevil's monsters, leaving Weevil with 450 life points left.

"You son of a bitch! You _tricked_ me!" Weevil accused.

"You only _tricked_ yourself, by believing my trap card was a _spell_ card. You should pay attention, Weevil."

"This _isn't_ over!"

"You're right, the game isn't over until one of us loses _all_ our life points," Atem smirked with his game face on.

"ALRIGHT! THAT'S THE WAY TO DO IT!" Tristan cheered.

"Atem, you did it!" Hanaski grinned with his hands on the glass of the Duel Box.

"Setting up a counter-trap. _Very sneaky_," Ryan smirked. "Sounds like Bug-boy's in a real pickle now."

"Don't get _too_ excited. It's true that Weevil is starting to fall behind, but a duelist can turn the tables in a single turn. Take it from someone that's dueled at a local Casino. This duel is not over yet," Mai said before flipping her hair. "And besides that, Weevil is the _Japanese Champion_. He's skilled in several winning strategies. The _real battle_ is just starting and it's getting interesting. The bug verses the midget. It'd be interesting to see which one will win."

"Mai," Atem glared as Mai looked at his direction. _"Kiss my ass."_

"Whatever _shorty_," Mai replied smugly as Atem deepened his glare. He hated being called _short_.

"Man, woman's got attitude," Weevil smirked with a slight chuckle. "Than again, you'd have to, to be able to kick Rex out of _his own room_. I must give you credit for _that_."

"It was nothing," Mai replied while flipping her hair.

"Oh well. Time for me to cream you for taking down my life points with your _stupid_ trap card!" Weevil glared at his opponent. He drew his next card. "I summon out Larvae Moth in defense mode."

_"Why was he putting such a weak monster out on the field?"_ Yugi asked in wonder.

_'More than likely, he's trying to put out a combo. We have to be careful, Yugi,'_ Atem explained before eying on Weevil's trap card still out on the field. _'There's also that trap card. I'll have to get rid of it.'_ "I play Monster Recovery. I take my cards from the field and shuffle them into my deck, then I draw five new cards."

"_Hm,_ smooth move," Weevil complimented as Atem removed his cards from the field and shuffled them into his deck. He then drew out five new cards.

"I'll now use Kuriboh to set off your trap," Atem declared as a furry monster appeared and sat on top of Weevil's trap card before destroying it. Though, Atem was taken damage and now had 1050 life points left.

"Damn it!" Weevil responded.

"Now I play Beaver Warrior in attack mode and end my turn."

Weevil chuckled _very deviously_ before turning it into _a loud laughter_. Atem rose his eyebrows, wondering what his opponent was _laughing_ over. It then occurred to him that he was doing _exactly_ what Weevil wanted him to do. Weevil drew a card from his hand, which was a spell card.

"I play my spell card Cocoon of Evolution and equip it to Larvae Moth!" Weevil announced as Atem gasped and sweat was pouring down his face. He had a _bad feeling_ this duel would turn out bad for him. Larvae Moth was wrapped in a giant cocoon and its defense points were _outrageous_. "In five turns, Larvae Moth will gradually evolve into the the perfect _Ultimate_ Great Moth!"

"Great, _a giant bug._ This sounds like one of those horror flicks were everyone has to fight a _giant_ bug," Atem responded.

"If you think _that_ sucks, my cocoon gets a grand total of 2600 defense points, thanks to the field bonus! _No cards_ you have can defeat the Cocoon of Evolution! You'll be chewed up in five turns!" Weevil declared with his full hand showing and five fingers sticking out. "You'll never take down my cocoon!"

_'This is bad. If I don't take down that cocoon, I'll lose,'_ Atem said while staring at that cocoon.

_"What should we do?"_ Yugi asked in worry.

_'I'll have to take that cocoon down!'_ Atem replied as he summoned out a monster. "I summon out Gaia The Fierce Knight!" Gaia The Fierce Knight attacked the cocoon, but it bounced off. Atem then remembered that it wasn't strong enough to destroy The Cocoon of Evolution. He had forgotten about the Field Bonus. "SHIT!"

"You _really_ need to start paying attention," Weevil glared. Atem's life points were now 750. "Did you forget about the Field Bonus or are you just plain _stupid_?"

Atem glared even more furiously. Mai kept her folded arms with a smirk smudged on her lips while the others were cheering on for Atem.

"Common Atem! You can do this!" Hanaski cheered.

"Yeah! Show that mother f***er who's boss!" Mokuba cried out with furrowed eyebrows.

"Give it up, Atem! No cards you have in your f***ing deck can destroy my cocoon. It's unstoppable and soon my moth will hatch from it's cocoon and _I_ will be _unstoppable_! Face it, Atem! _I_ WIN!" Weevil smirked with excitement in his voice.

_'Well, this is great! I'm in a shit-hole and have no cards that are _good_ with forests. What should I do? I don't even have a good combo that can surpass that f***ing cocoon!'_ Atem said, feeling the pressure on his shoulders.

_"There has to be some way to destroy that huge cocoon!"_ Yugi said with narrowed eyes. He closed his eyes to try to think of a way to help his brother, but he couldn't think of _anything_. _"BUT WHAT?"_

"Common Atem! You came here to win the honors of the Duelist King!" Joey cried to his friend. "YOU _CAN'T LOSE_, ATEM!"

"He's right!" Hanaski glared with his fists on the glass. "Burn that damn forest if you have to! Just take down that cocoon!"

_"THAT'S IT!"_ Yugi cried with joy on his face._ "Brother! _I know_ how we can take down that cocoon! What if we _burned_ down the forest? Then, we'll be taking a bulk of the forest's field bonus!"_

_'Good idea, Yugi!'_ Atem smirked as they gave each other a nod.

"You amateurs talk alot, you know," Mai said grimly. "Once a duelist sits down and duels, the only person he can depend on, is _himself_. That's all he'll _ever_ have. In fact, a _true duelist_ wouldn't pay attention to all your _screaming cheers_."

"You don't know that!" Tea glared, eying at Mai. "Have you ever had friends cheer for you before?"

"No, but I've been _cheered_ _on_ by adoring fans _and my sex partners_," Mai said factually.

"_Sex partners?_ Guess Atem's not alone in whom to call his ex girlfriends, or _boyfriends_ in Mai's case," Ryan smirked.

"Listen Mai, being cheered by fans is _nothing_ compared to the people who care about you!" Mokuba cried out as Mai stared at the kid like he didn't know what he was talking about. "I've been cheered on by fans when I'm at a Capsule Monsters Tournament, but also by my brother _and_ by Atem! It's different when the people who care about you cheer you on than if it's just_ adoring fans_!"

"Wait, you mean Atem's _not_ your brother?" Mai asked with raised eyebrows. "I thought you two were brothers since you've been clinging onto him like one."

"My brother's in the hospital, so Atem's been taking care of me the whole time."

"So Atem's like your _second_ brother. You two seem to have a close relationship from where I'm standing."

Atem turned half of his body and smiled at his friends with a thumbs up. Mokuba showed a grin, the same grin he showed Seto during his competitions. Mokuba started thinking,_ 'Maybe Mai's right. Maybe Atem _is_ like my second brother!'_ Just the thought made Mokuba smile brightly. If only Seto was here to see Atem fighting for Kaiba Corp. If only Seto could see that Atem was never _interfering_ with Seto's job, but protecting it.

"I place Curse of Dragon in attack mode!" Atem announced as Curse of Dragon appeared flying with brilliance. "Then I use Burning Land to burn that forest to a crisp!"

"_SHIIIIIT!_ YOU CAN DO _THAT_?" Weevil asked in a sweating gasp.

"Well, I'm guessing when Pegasus created this card, he was aware of the field bonus. Funny, it says it can destroy _field spell_ on the card," Atem said, staring at the card. He shrugged. "I figured field bonus and field spells were the same thing."

"DAMN!" Weevil cursed at himself.

"And now that the forest is down, your cocoon's defenses go down," Atem declared with a slight smirk. "Destroy that cocoon Gaia!"

Gaia The Fierce Knight cut through the cocoon and a giant moth appeared. Everyone gasped at the sight. The Great Moth was not destroyed, but the cocoon itself. Weevil smirked _oh so deviously_ as Atem made a slight gasp. Yugi was just as astounded by the size of that bug.

"That damn bug is still _alive_?" Ryan glared with annoyance in his voice.

"He's not as perfect as I wanted him to be, but he will have to do," Weevil smirked widely. "NOW YOU SHALL FEEL THE DESTRUCTION OF MY GIANT MOTH!"

"That is one big bitch!" Atem smirked as a giggle left his nose.

"What's so _funny_?" Weevil glared.

"Nothing, it's just that's the biggest bug I've _ever_ seen in my life! You're a real tough character, Weevil."

Weevil smirked at that compliment as everyone else, besides Mokuba and Mai, seemed dumbfounded by this reaction. Mai and Mokuba just showed a smirk.

"What in the world was _that_?" Tristan asked confounded.

"Isn't it _obvious_?" Mai asked while rolling her eyes. "Atem's having fun. When dueling, every duelist always has fun while doing it. That's what dueling is _really_ about: just having fun."

"Yeah, I mean don't you guys just _have fun_ when you're dueling a _real_ opponent?" Mokuba asked with a smirk on his face.

"I know _I_ do!" Hanaski said.

"Same here! Nothing's more fun than dueling your heart out," Joey agreed. Than he thought, "I wonder if Kaiba knows how to have fun."

"_He does._ He has more fun when dueling Atem. That's why he _always_ goes to his house," Mokuba explained. "But the thing is, you have to be a _real_ challenge in order for my brother to have any _real_ fun."

"It's just too bad I have to squash your mosquito!" Atem smirked with fire in his heart.

"I'd like to see you _try_!" Weevil smirked back, fire also burning in his heart. "Great Moth, attack Gaia The Fierce Knight!" Great Moth flew up in the air and headed straight for Gaia The Fierce Knight. _"IT'S OVER!"_

"Not so fast!" Atem smirked as he got out his spell card from his hand. "I use Polymerization to fuse Gaia and Curse of Dragon to form Gaia The Dragon Champion!"

_"Shit!"_ Weevil glared as Atem held a smirk. Weevil, then showed a smirk on his lips. "Aw well, my Great Moth uses his special ability by using his poisonous pollen to make your dragon champion's attack points go down."

"WHAT!" Atem gasped bug-eyed.

"Let me explain it to you in words: if you don't do something quick, your Dragon Champion's attack and defense points will continually decay until there's nothing left of him," Weevil smirked with excitement.

Atem glared as he drew his next card. He knew if he didn't think of something quick, Gaia The Dragon Champion will be destroyed and his life points will hit to 0. Atem smirked as he saw the card he just drew.

"I play Magic Mist," Atem smirked as the field started drizzling with rain. "Hate to _rain_ on your parade."

"HA! NICE ONE ATEM!" Joey shouted, getting the pun of the joke.

"The poison pollen maybe gone, but I can still destroy your Dragon Champion in one blow!" Weevil smirked with a maniacal laugh that escaped him. "GREAT MOTH, ATTACK HIS DRAGON CHAMPION!"

The Great Moth drove toward Gaia The Dragon Champion and destroyed him in one final blow. Atem's life points decreased to 100 points. Despite such low life points that were hanging by a thread, Atem still chuckled. Weevil was starting to get annoyed by that laugh.

"What's so _funny_?" Weevil glared annoyingly.

"The Dragon Champion was just _a decoy_," Atem replied as Weevil gasped in horror.

"A _DECOY_?"

"I summon my Summoned Skull in attack mode!" Atem declared as Weevil chuckled manically.

"Your Summoned Skull is _nothing_ compared to my Great Moth."

"I guess you haven't been _paying attention_ either. There's _another reason_ I played Magic Mist. It increases my Summoned Skull's attack points," Atem explained, pointing at the giant moth, who was soaking wet. "The water increases electrical power. This is the same type of trick that was used when Hanaski saved me from a gang."

"I remember that!" Joey cried with a joyful grin. "That taser hit that giant puddle of water and gave them a taste of their own _tasers_!"

"Damn! You boys get around huh?" Mai smirked before turning her head and watching Summoned Skull attack Great Moth and depleting the rest of Weevil's life points.

_"SHIIIIIIIT!"_ Weevil cried. Then, a smile was shown across his face and he gave his two star chips to Atem. "Congrats on the win. Guess I won't need _these_ anymore." The bug boy than took off his glove and dropped it on the ground, including his four cards. Atem picked them up and gazed at Weevil's direction.

_"Weevil!"_ Atem called as Weevil smiled at his direction. "That was the best duel ever! I'd like to duel you again sometime!"

"Same here! Not everyone can defeat me like that. I wish you luck on winning the prize and title!"

"_Thanks._ You take care of yourself."

_"Pronto!"_

Weevil left it at that on his way to the ship that would take him home, since he had no star chips left. Mai held a smirk, being impressed at Atem's _amazing_ dueling skills. Atem exited from the Duel Box, being greeted by welcoming friends and a group hug. Of course, Mokuba was the first to give the winner a hug around the waist.

"Nice job, Atem!" Mokuba cheered.

"Yeah, you kicked bug boy's ass!" Ryan smirked, giving his friend a friendly punch on the shoulder.

"Not bad," Mai complimented, her right fist on her hip. "Not only to you have sexy abs, but you're a _very_ powerful duelist."

"Thanks and I'd compliment on your dueling, but I haven't seen you duel _yet_ and I have yet to see you impress me besides the size of your boobs that are as real as a three-dollar-bill," Atem smirked with folded arms.

"MY BREASTS ARE _NOT_ FAKE!"

"Mind if I _check_?" Joey asked grinningly as his eyebrows rose two times. Mai balled up her fist and punched Joey right across the face. Everyone started gawking up in laughter. "IT WAS JUST A JOKE!"

"Yeah, but you _asked_ for it," Atem smirked before helping his blond friend up.

_"Whatever,"_ Mai said with a griming look.

"Joey, I was thinking..." Atem started as Joey cocked his eyebrows. He saw his friend put two star chips on Weevil's glove and gave it to Joey. He became awestruck. "Maybe _we both_ can be duelists. We _have_ been working hard for that money for Serena and I think we should share it _together_."

"Wait, _you mean it?_" Joey asked joyfully and baffled.

"_I mean it._ Help me win the money!"

Joey snatched Weevil's glove and put it on his right hand with a huge smile. Atem also gave Joey Weevil's four cards that looked like Duel Monsters cards, if not for the pictures and the titles. Mai gawked up laughing like a hyina. She _could not_ believe what she just saw. Atem was having Joey play _as a duelist_, not paying attention to the _reasons_ for winning.

"You're letting _an amateur_ go onto the pro leagues? _That's rich!_" Mai smirked mockingly.

"Joey's been practicing and is getting stronger. You haven't seen him duel _yet_, so don't make any judgments," Atem warned smirkingly.

"Listen _hot stuff_, unless he's played in the pro leagues before, he has _no skills_ as a _true_ duelist!" Mai said factually with a smudge face.

"OH _REALLY_?" Joey glared furiously. "Than how about a duel, sweet thing? You think you're so _tough_? Well how about we start dueling and you can kiss my f***ing ass!"

"You're way out of your league, big boy. You can't even cut out having half the abs that midget has and I bet your d*** is not even half as long!"

"Wow, she really _is_ a whore," Ryan smirked as Atem rolled his eyes.

"Gee, what gave it away, her mouth or her _outfit_? I swear that skirt is shorter than Tea's bikini," Atem said.

"Forget about her, Joey! You can't beat that woman anyways!" Tristan suggested.

"I ain't running away! I'm dueling Mai if it's the last thing I do!" Joey shouted triumphantly. "First, we'll have to find a Duel Box that gives our monsters the upper hand advantage and to be honest, a forest isn't exactly _fitting_ for my monsters."

_"Hm,"_ Mai humphed before flipping her hair. "My monsters aren't _fitting_ here either, but I know a place where _both_ our monsters have a good advantage. What do ya say?"

"So, _it's a done deal?_"

"Well... if I'm gonna beat Atem, I need to beat my other opponents down anyways, so... _yeah_. I'll get your ass kicking," Mai finally agreed as her and Joey walked side by side toward the plains area. "Besides, I have four star chips, just in case you surprise me, which_ I doubt_."

"Atem, are _you sure_ we should let Joey duel against someone who could probably take him down?" Tristan asked Atem.

"_Of course!_ Unless Joey duels against _a real challenge_, he'll _never_ get better. This way, he can prove himself to be _a real_ champion," Atem replied.

"Yeah! If Joey keeps dueling his friends and not moving forward, he'll never make it to the championships!" Mokuba stated.

"But do you think Joey can kick that whore's ass?" Ryan asked.

"I _know_ he can!" Atem said with boldness and confidence in his voice.

"I guess there's only one way to find out!" Tea declared as the friends followed Joey out of the forest where he would duel against Mai Valentine.


	6. The Siren

**I hope you like this. More from littlekurioh! Lol. I love his jokes! Ok, so Joey is dueling against Mai and after that, she'll be out for a while. You can guess why lol. Here it is! Review please!**

Joey and Mai made it out of the forest and into the plain areas. They walked to a Duel Box were there were mountains, plains, and valleys. This was perfect for their duel and perfect for their deck they were playing. Mai and Joey sat across from each other and shuffled their decks. Joey's friends were outside the Duel Box watching their friend prepare for their duel.

While shuffling Mai's deck, Joey eyed the woman curiously with a slight smirk. Mai noticed this, especially since Joey wasn't looking at her breasts, and cocked her eyebrows.

"What do _you_ want?" Mai asked.

"Just curious, why are you participating in this duel?" Joey asked.

"That's easy," Mai smirked with a slight chuckle. "I came here for honor and fortune. If I win the money, I can travel the world and live in _Paris_. I won't have to live in poverty anymore."

_"That's it?"_ Joey asked blinkly. "So, in other words, you're here for _yourself_?"

"Why else? In life, you can only depend _on yourself_ and I don't have anyone else to depend on, so why else would I be here besides on _my own_ needs?"  
>Joey stared at the woman blankly. Mai had claimed not only that she only depended on <em>herself<em>, but had _nobody_ to depend on. Did that mean she had no friends? No family? _No one?_ Even Joey and Atem had someone when they were living off the road. Atem returned back with his own family and Joey had a dad, despite him not being the _greatest person_ to live with.

"Do you have a _family_ to depend on?" Joey asked as Mai's face turned blank. The woman glared at the blond male with burst of anger.

"WHY DO _YOU_ WANNA KNOW? WHY ARE YOU PARTICIPATING?" Mai asked aloud with her head boiling.

"Didn't you hear what Atem said when he gave me Weevil's glove and cards?" Joey asked as Mai's eyes blinked. "Let me rephrase it: I'm here for someone _precious_ to me, who is in the hospital right now."

Mai's face turned blank with blinking eyes. The woman tried to remember what Atem had said that could match Joey's words. It then dawned on her that Joey was talking about a curtain _Serena_ Atem had mentioned. Joey was fighting for Serena. Though, Mai mistook this information for the girl being _Joey's girlfriend_.

Mai showed a smirk, and then nodded, "I see. You're dueling for Serena."

"_Serenity._ _Atem_ calls her Serena," Joey corrected.

"Right, _Serenity_. Well, I'd love to hear your _lovely_ story, but it's time to duel, big boy," Mai glared with her game face on, giving Joey back his deck. Joey gave Mai her deck. "Now, let's duel already!"

"GO JOEY!" Tea cheered.

"Kick that bitch's ass!" Ryan cheered.

Mai and Joey gambled one star chip and got out five cards, but Mai placed each card on the table face-down. The blond male cocked his eyebrows while Atem narrowed his eyes _suspiciously_. Why was Mai putting her cards down_ like this?_ Joey was starting to get a freakazoid look.

"Wait... why _aren't_ you looking at your cards?" Joey asked baffled.

"I know what my cards are already," Mai replied as Joey stared at the woman, even more baffled.

"This has got to be a f***ing joke! There is _no way_ she can do that!" Ryan glared with suspicion. Atem stood there, his arms still folded.

_'He's right! The question is if Joey knows what Mai is hiding under that trick she's f***ing him with,'_ Atem thought in his head.

Mai took one card from her face-down cards, not even looking at what she flipped up, announcing, "I summon Harpy Lady in attack mode! She also gets a power boost from the mountains" Harpy Lady appeared with her brilliant wings on the field.

"_DANG!_ HOW IS SHE DOING THAT?" Tristan asked baffled.

"At least I know she uses a deck that makes her monsters look like whores," Atem smirked with a slight chuckle. "Than again, her monster does have the word _herpe_."

"IT'S HARPY NOT _HERPIES_!" Mai shouted at Atem as he gawked up laughing.

"Whatever!" Joey glared, wanting to get back to the duel. "I play Tigar Ax in attack mode!"

"No good! My monster has wings, so it attacks your monster and claws it to pieces!"

Harpy Lady slashed right at Tigar Ax and Joey's life points were down to 1610. His face seemed terrified, but Atem held a smirk, including Ryan who had his arms folded.

"Herpes kills the cat," Atem smirked as Mai's head boiled.

"IT'S HARPY, NOT _HERPES_!" Mai cried out in anger.

"I'd hate to f*** with a woman, if her pussy is _that_ bulky red," Ryan said as Mai's head grew even hotter.

"You boys are f***ing disgusting!" Tea glared.

"Ryan, why do I get the feeling you're not a virgin?" Atem asked rhetorically as Ryan gave an evil crooked smile.

"At least I don't call them my _'sex partners,'_" Ryan smirked.

"I'm summoning my Kojikocy in attack mode!" Joey declared as Kojikocy appeared with an angry look on his face. It also got a power boost from the plains field bonus.

"Than, I'll play Electro-Whip," Mai smirked as she picked up another face-down card on the table and showed it to Joey, who was looking more baffled. "With this, my Harpy Lady's attack goes up by 300 points."

"More herpes," Atem added.

"WOULD YOU SHUT THE F*** UP? IT'S HARPY, NOT _HERPE_!" Mai screamed as everyone, except Tea, gawked up laughing.

"Just don't give them to _me_," Tristan as Mai's head continually boiled.

"WHATEVER! HARPY LADY DESTROYS YOUR KOJIKOCY!" Mai cried out, trying to ignore the teasing boys.

Sweat was pouring on Joey's face as he watched his life points drop to 1120. Joey couldn't snap out of the fact that Mai knew her cards without _seeing them_. It was as if she was _psychic_. There had to be some sort of trick to this, _there just had to!_ Atem was worried about his friend. Joey wasn't looking so good and seemed distracted by Mai's trick.

"You'll never be able to defeat my Harpy Lady with _that_ monster! At each turn, she becomes more elegant and beautiful!" Mai smirked.

"And giving out transmitted diseases," Ryan added.

"IT'S HARPY, NOT _HERPE_!" Mai yelled aloud as the boys gawked up laughing.

"I play Karbonala Warrior!" Joey declared as Karbonala Warrior appeared in attack mode.

"Than I'll make Harpy Lady more _elegant and beautiful_ with Cyber Bondage," Mai smirked as she turned over another card face-down on the table as Harpy Lady was given a suit of armor and attacked Joey's warrior, leaving Joey with 810 life points. "_Face it!_ You're no match for the pro leagues!"

"Common Joey! Don't give up!" Mokuba cheered.

_"You both!"_ Mai said, pointing to Tea and Mokuba. "Both of you said that your _cheerleading_ can help your friend in a duel, if they're _friends_. Well, how about you prove it _right now?_ Say something that can make this amatur turn things around!" Tea just stood there blankly, while Mokua just crossed his arms with a smudge glare. Mai laughed mockingly, thinking that she had just _proven her point_. She flipped her hair pridefully and said, "see? Your stupid _cheering_ is useless! It doesn't matter if your Joey's friends or not! A true duelist only depends on _himself_! Today's friends are tomorrow's _enemies_! Even if you were to _beat me_ and make it to the final round, you will have to duel Atem eventually and he will become your enemy! _That's life!_"

"That's _not_ true!" Mokuba protested.

"And how would _you_ know? Have you made _any_ friends with your enemies? Face it, kid! You're twelve years old and don't have enough experience to know _everything_!" Mai said snobbishly.

_"That's actually not true,"_ Yugi said next to his brother. _"Even Seto _tried_ to make you his enemy, but couldn't. It's harder to make enemies out of your friends, than it is to make an enemy your friend."_

_'That's right!'_ Atem agreed, nodding at his brother._ 'Seto and I became friends out of our duels. If Mai was right, Seto and I would never have been friends and I wouldn't be in this competition. It's time I showed Mai that even _encouragement_ can help someone when they're down and I know one that _will_ work.'_ "You wanna bet?"

Mai was taken aback by Atem's words. She looked at the teenager's direction and asked, "what was that?"

"You wanna bet?" Atem asked with a smirk up his lips. "I've been friends with Joey since childhood and I can bet ya that I can help Joey turn the tables by _cheering him on_, as you have protested _doesn't help_."

"Fine, but no _cheating_!" Mai agreed.

"Don't worry. I maybe an ass, but not that much," Atem smirked before looking at Joey's direction. "Joey, what was our riddle to our tree house when we were five?"

Joey's eyebrows popped as he replied, "_what is something you can show, but not see?_ We used that to tick off my cousins when they tried to get inside our tree house."

"But only _we_ knew the answer. It can be used for different answers, that's _why_ we used it. Use that question for this duel."

"_Well,_ that's rich!" Mai mocked in laughter. "Something you can show, but not see? _Woooow._"

Joey was trying to think what Atem was meaning by that. He knew that the password to the tree house with the riddle was _friendship_, though it could mean different things. Atem once told Joey that he thought it could mean _puzzle_, because you can show the pieces, but you can't see the whole picture. For Serenity, she thought it could mean _blindness_, because you can show that you're blind, but you cannot really see that _they are_, unless they had a cataract or something. Someone born with blindness had normal eyes, but were _unfocused_.

Joey sighed while closing his eyes, trying to figure out what Atem meant by his riddle. There was nothing that came up besides Mai's strong sent of different perfumes. WAIT! Different _smells_? Joey snapped his eyes open and glared at the cards Mai had on the table face-down.

"Well, are you going or not?" Mai asked bluntly. Joey scrunched his mouth and snatched Mai's Harpy Lady card that was in attack mode and sniffed it. _"HEY!"_

"You've been spraying _all_ your cards with different perfumes! That's how you could tell what card you were playing face-down!" Joey glared as everyone gasped.

"That f***ing bitch!" Tristan glared, shooting daggers at Mai, who was dumbfounded at Joey's discovery.

"That's what Atem meant! You can show the perfume from a bottle, but you can't see it's fragrance!" Joey said aloud with a bright smile on his face. Mai seemed so awestruck. "_Man!_ You had me going there! I thought it was some _occult_ stuff or something!"

"BIG DEAL! So you thought through my aroma-tactics! You couldn't beat me in a hundred years!" Mai shouted from across the table.

"I'll take you on in a _hundred years_, Mai!" Joey said with confidence, which made Mai feel lower than her opponent. "Just knowing my friends are there cheering for me, makes me feel stronger. Mokuba's right! It's different when there's someone _who cares about you_ watching and _cheering_ for you. Even if I lost to you, I'll always get back up again."

Mai was completely baffled. She had never heard such words coming out of some amateur's mouth. She was used to beating her opponent and watching them cry like a bunch of babies. Never had Mai watched someone lose, then get themselves back up. _That was just unheard of!_ Like a different language.

Joey showed a gaming face and smirked, "now, I summon Baby Dragon in defense mode!"

"HA! Nice choice, a _baby_ dragon. _Oh, doesn't it look so _adorable_?_" Mai mocked before a laugh escaped her mouth. "At least you were smart in placing it in defense mode, so I wouldn't be able to deplete your life points. Instead of killing it, I'll just play this card." Mai took out her spell card and played it. "Kaleidoscope! With this, I can summon out _three_ Harpy Ladies!"

"Great, more _Herpe Ladies_," Ryan smirked.

"HARPY NOT _HERPE_!" Mai cried out, getting annoyed at the boys making fun of her cards.

Joey was panicking with sweat droplets on his face. Now he had to face _more_ monsters. There had to be a way to defeat the Harpy Sisters. Joey drew his next card and decided to play another monster.

"I play Garoozis in attack mode!" Joey declared as the dragon came on the field, then was attacked by the three Harpy Sisters. Joey was now left with a mere 120 life points while Mai still had her 2000.

"You're nothing against _me_, Joey! It's over! You might as well just _give up_!" Mai smirked victoriously, since she knew that her 2000 life points compared to Joey's 120 already had decided the game, or _so she thought._ "You're nothing more than an _amateur_, so just give it up already!"

Joey looked over to his friends, who were still smiling at their friend. Even Atem was still smiling and cheering him on. Joey knew that this game wasn't over, _not yet!_ He still had a chance to turn the tables, if he drew the right card. Joey closed his eyes and drew a card from his deck. He opened them to see the card in his hand, it was Time Wizard.

_"ALRIGHT!"_ Joey shouted excitedly before smacking the card down. "I play Time Wizard! I can use his special ability to forward time and Baby Dragon can grow up into adult hood. TIME ROULETE GO!"

Time Wizard stuck its staff up in the air and the arrow was circling around and around until it hit the white area. Then, Baby Dragon changed into adult age and became _very_ powerful. Baby Dragon and changed into The Thousand Dragon with 2400 attack points. Mai smirked, since those attack points were _nothing_ compared to her Harpy Ladies.

"_So what?_ My Harpy Ladies are still..." Mai shouted before noticing her Harpy Ladies who were old and crippled from the effects of Time Wizard. "_WHAT?_ WHAT THE HELL?"

"DAMN! They sure don't look so good!" Tristan cringed.

"That's what happens when you live your life _alone_," Atem said factually as Mai stared at the teenage midget. "Mai, you live your life without anyone with you. At least when _I_ lived a whore life, I had friends with me. You've got _nothing_! That's why _cheers_ mean nothing to you! Tea and Mokuba know that cheering can help someone in dueling, because they go to competitions while being cheered by _loved ones_! The quality of cheering is not when you win, but when you lose! What's gonna happen when you lose and _nobody's_ there to pick you back up, except _yourself_?"

Mai couldn't answer that question, because nobody had _ever_ helped her in that area. Joey smiled triumphantly and shouted, "SICK 'EM, THOUSAND DRAGON!" Thousand Dragon blew a blast of fire and whipped all the Harpy Ladies from the field and the rest of Mai's life points. Mai was awestruck about her defeat, but was left with a few words. "Even in a hundred years, there's one thing that won't change. I may get knocked down, but I can always get back up!"

With that, Joey left the Duel Box while Mai sat down at the table staring at her cards and deck. The gang headed out deeper into the island. They walked for _so long_ that they were starving. There was _nothing_ to eat where they were and their tummies were rumbling. As Tristan and Joey were starting to get food cravings, Atem decided to go fetch for food. Since the gang brought camping supplies, they also brought fishing supplies.

Atem and his friends were all fishing by the ocean. Although, Joey was still starving with a rumbling tummy.

"_Ugh!_ When are we gonna get some grub around here?" Joey complained.

"_Stop_, you'll scare the fish," Mokuba glared as Joey dropped to his knees with a loud moan.

"Hey, you won two star chips, if you wanna entertain yourselves, than go kick some duelist's ass, so you can catch up with Atem," Ryan glared, still holding to his fishing pole.

"Hey! I think I caught one!" Mokuba grinned excitedly. He reeled in on the fishing pole and a huge fish the size of a cubit swung onto the grass.

Drool slipped out of Joey's lips before Atem grabbed it with his firm hand. He rolled his eyes with an escaping sigh before leaning the fish next to the campfire Hanaski made. Since he had camped with his father alot in America, he knew how to build campfires, let alone cook fish, hot dogs, and marshmallows.

_"Aw man!"_ Joey complained.

"Stop your whining, we're _all_ starving!" Tea glared, who was sitting on the plain grass since she _hated_ fishing.

"Would you shut up, bitch!" Joey shouted in complaining mode.

"_Somebody's_ cranky," Ryan smirked.

"He does when you don't feed him," Atem explained.

Tea narrowed her eyes, glaring at the campfire. Hanaski picked this up from his childhood friend. Tea seemed upset, very upset about _something_. Hanaski decided to check up on his brown-haired friend.

"Something wrong?" Hanaski asked.

"It's nothing," Tea muttered before a sigh escaped her. "It's just that I haven't seen Yugi all day since our arrival here."

Atem turned around when Yugi had heard Tea saying this. He felt guilty of not spending time with his girlfriend. Atem smirked and changed into Yugi right away. He needed to spend some time with Tea.

"Tea!" Yugi called as she looked up and saw his childish face. Tea became excited and ran by her boyfriend's side. Yugi put his arm around Tea as she leaned her head on her boyfriend's shoulder.

Atem was getting used to Yugi and Tea having their _romantic time_ together. He no longer complained about it, but having romantic times was off limits at school. Since everyone was on an island where _nobody_ knew anything about the group, Atem was fine with Yugi and Tea having their _alone time_ or doing whatever. In fact, Atem didn't care if Mai just happened to come by and watching the two make-out. It was non of the slut's business anyways.

Yugi felt a tug on the fishing pole, having to remove his arm from Tea to reel in the fishing pole. Tea helped Yugi by grabbing a hold of the pole and pulling it while he was reeling in the fish. It was squirming as it splotched right onto the grassy ground. Tea was laughing the whole time she was trying to grab the slimy fish at the same time Yugi was. He let Tea carry the fish to Hanaski.

"I thought you said you _hated_ fishing," Mokuba said cock-eyed.

"I still do, but when it's with someone you love, it doesn't matter what you do. It'll always be _fun_," Tea explained before turning her glowing eyes toward Yugi who held a huge grin.

Ryan smirked while noticing Ryou sitting next to his brother at the edge of the cliff where the gang was fishing at. He seemed very _depressed_. Ryou clutched his legs before giving off a sigh before Ryan eyed at his brother.

"What's wrong?" Ryan asked.

_"Nothing. I mean, I know you can't put the ring on and you _certainly_ can't have me living your life anymore, but... sometimes I wish _I can_,"_ Ryou admitted as a sigh escaped him. _"_Sometimes_... I wish I can hang out with our friends. It's just not fair."_

"No... _it isn't_," Ryan agreed, feeling pity for his brother.

_"Yugi gets to do that. I mean _look_,"_ Ryou said, pointing at Yugi and Tea laughing together. _"Yugi can play with his girlfriend and even _fall in love_. I can't do that, because of that evil spirit inside me."_

Ryan didn't know what to do, besides embracing his brother and soothing him. He wished deep in his heart that his friends could meet and spend time with Ryou. He was the most loveable guy a person could want. Ryan knew that evil spirit, whoever it was, was a curse to his brother and could never spend _any_ time with his friends. Ryan wished in his heart that there was some way that Ryou _could_ hang out with his friends without that evil spirit butting in the way.

Soon later, everyone started eating the fish they caught. They all laughed, giggled, and had a ball of a time. Joey and Tristan were both eating like two lions eating their prey. Everyone was laughing over this while eating their meal. While eating, _a figure_ happen to have climbed up the cliff on top of a rock of some sort. The gang turned their heads and noticed this figure.

"HEY! I..." The mysterious figure shouted before the wave took him in. _"WHOOOOOA!"_

The gang gasped before running toward the figure who climbed himself back up on his own. Yugi and Hanaski helped this mysterious guy up.

"Are you okay?" Hanaski asked.

"I'm fine!" The mysterious man replied, glaring at the ocean. _"Stupid wave."_ This guy was tan, meaning that he had been out in the sun alot. Though, what got the gang awestruck was the fact this person had a_ swimming suit_ on and wore it like everyday clothing. His hair was also messy in a color of black, wrapped in a ponytail. He glared, "anyways, have you guys seen a harpoon?"

"A _harpoon_? Now what kind of a retard would carry a f***in harpoon?" Ryan asked grimly as the mysterious man glared at him deeply.

"_I_ CARRY A HARPOON, WISE GUY!" The myserious man shouted, making Ryan wide-eyed.

"Who are you anyways?" Joey asked.

"I'm Mako Tsunami! DUELIST OF THE SEA!" Mako smirked boldly.

"_Really?_ You look like a freaky fish guy," Mokuba mocked.

"WHO ASKED _YOU_, KID!" Mako shouted as Mokuba, who just glared back.

"Mokuba, that's _enough_!" Yugi said, trying to keep Mokuba from starting a fight. "Sorry, Mokuba's young."

"HEY! I MAYBE YOUNG, BUT I'M VICE..."

_"Mokuba!"_ Yugi glared as Mokuba folded his arms and showed a pouty look.

"Kid's got guts, I'll give him that," Mako smirked with arms folded. He then noticed something. "Are you Atem Moto?"

"Sure am!" Yugi replied with his childish smile.

"You look different from TV. Like a child... _no offense_," Mako commented.

"Non taken. I get that alot," Yugi grinned as Mako chuckled.

"HEY!" Joey called with a harpoon in his hand. "Is _this_ your harpoon?"

"Where'd you find that?" Mako asked excitedly.

_"Eh?"_ Joey shrugged. "I found it behind that tree over there." He pointed to a huge tree.

"So _that's_ where I left it!" Mako remember, smacking his forehead as a giggle left Yugi's mouth.

"So, why are you here? It's pretty obvious you're a duelist," Tristan asked, pointing his eyes toward the glove on Mako's right hand.

"I came here to win the money for a boat, so I can fish everyday. You see..." Mako replied before sitting by the fire, beginning his story. "Ever since the day I was born, I would always watch the sea. It's kinda like a person to me, _ya know?_" Everyone didn't understand what Mako meant by that, but still listened. Mokuba, on the other hand, just looked at the guy like he was _high_ or something. "Anyways, a couple of years ago, my dad and I went fishing. The weather was fine and dandy and the ocean seemed to be in a good mood. Then... _it changed_. The wave swallowed our boat and crashed it beneath the sea. Luckily, we were saved by _another ship_ passing by, but... we couldn't fish anymore. Anyways... _yeah_, that's my story."

"That was very interesting, Mako," Tea complimented.

"Yeah, I liked it too," Hanaski agreed.

"_pff,_ I _suppose_ it was okay," Mokuba replied with a grimy attitude and folded arms.

"Well, we better leave," Joey said, packing the camping supplies used to fish and cook food.

"Before you go, I was wondering if we can have a duel, _Atem_?" Mako asked with an optimistic attitude.

"I'D _LOVE_ TO!" Yugi replied with his childish grin. "Is there a Duel Box anywhere?"

"There's one over there," Mako pointed toward a cliff with a Duel Box. "Half side is ocean while the other is wasteland. You okay with that?"

"Sure!"

This was the first time _Yugi_ dueled someone. Atem had dueled Weevil and Seto Kaiba, but Yugi _never_ dueled _anyone_, besides his friends. Everyone was anxious to see Yugi take a whack at dueling someone for once. Yugi ran over to where Mako said they would duel. Atem was floating behind his brother, like he was flying, while Yugi was running toward the Duel Box.

_"I wish you luck, Yugi,"_ Atem smirked.

_'You know it!'_ Yugi replied. His eyes furrowed with excitement written on his face as he was about to face his challenger Mako Tsunami.


	7. Attack From the Deep

**Ok, I want everyone to know that the part of the manga where Mokuba steals people's star chips is not gonna be around. Since Mokuba is hanging around with Atem, there's no need for it. Though, star chips will be stolen, just not by Mokuba. Also, I'm anxious for when Atem duels the gay clown, if you know what I mean lol. Review please!**

Yugi and Mako entered inside the Duel Box and gambled two star chips for the duel. Yugi was excited to duel someone for once instead of watching his brother duel. Mako seemed like a really nice guy and he seemed excited about the duel too. Yugi's side of the board was a piece of wasteland, while Mako's half was ocean.

After giving back their decks, the two drew five cards and prepared for their dueled.

"How about you go first?" Yugi offered as Mako excitedly drew his first card.

"I play Devil Kracken!" Mako announced as he put down his card in attack mode, but it never appeared. Yugi raised his eyebrows, thinking that the Duel Box hologram was probably busted.

"Ok, I summon out Imp in attack mode!" Yugi smirked as Imp appeared as the hologram image appeared. "That's weird, why isn't your monster appearing?"

"Because, I'm using the ocean field bonus. As an addition, you cannot _see_ my monster."

That's when Yugi noticed that Mako's card was under the sea and the image, that told the information of the monster's attack points, were faded. Yugi's eyes widened, but focused again with a slight smirk. This would be a challenge, but if this wasn't _a challenge_, than the game would be boring. Yugi decided to take this chance.

"Ok," Yugi nodded. "Then I end my turn."

"GOOD!" Mako smirked as as grin appeared on his lips. "Because of the field bonus, I can use the power of the ocean to attack your monster!"

Yugi gasped as the ocean wave washed away his Imp and he was left with 1740 points. He heard his friends gasp from outside of the Duel Box. Even Atem was bug-eyed.

"_Daaaaamn!_ Mako doesn't mess around!" Mokuba commented.

"You're telling me," Joey agreed. He looked at his friend from outside the Duel Box. "Common _Yu_... Atem! Kick that fish guy's ass!"

Yugi turned his head and gave a thumbs up. He had this duel and he was going to beat Mako with everything he had. Atem could see bold confidence in his brother and watched from behind.

"I play Fernal Imp in defense mode!" Yugi declared as his Fernal Imp appeared in defense mode. A smirk appeared on his face, there was always more than one way to skin a cat.

"Then, I play Jellyfish in defense mode!" Mako smirked as he placed his Jellyfish, which showed above the water. Yugi bit his bottom lip, he had a bad feeling about that jellyfish. "Common Atem! Come at it with my Jellyfish! You can fry it or cook it!"

"Thanks, but I'm allergic to jellyfish," Yugi admitted as Mako blinked. "Yeah, I swelled up in the hospital after eating one at a Chinese Restaurant."

_"Wow, you're getting good at pretending to be me,"_ Atem complimented with a slight giggle. _"Though you didn't have to mention the part where I ended up in the hospital."_

_'Sorry,'_ Yugi blushed. He then narrowed his eyes and a smirk appeared on his lips. "I equip my Fernal Imp with Horn of the Unicorn and attack the sea!"

"F***in genius!" Ryan smirked with his arms crossed. "That's showing fish boy what ya made of!"

"YEAH!" Tea cheered as Yugi grinned even wider.

"So _you_ think," Mako smirked as Yugi noticed that the Jellyfish was not affected from Horn of the Unicorn. "When my Jellyfish is out, it acts like a lightning rod. In other words, your attack was _negated_."

"Damn!" Tristan glared.

"Not only that, but my Jellyfish _feeds_ off of your attack!" Mako pointed out at the Jellyfish growing bigger. Yugi was completely bug-eyed while seeing the jellyfish growing huge.

"That is one huge mother f***er," Mokuba thought.

"Now, time for me to take down your Fernal Imp!" Mako announced as a huge wave took a hold of Fernal Imp and Yugi's life points dropped down to 1480. "HA! NOBODY CAN BEAT ME AT THE SEA!"

_"We'll see,"_ Yugi smirked with a slight giggle. "It's not over until one of our life points reaches 0."

"Wow, you are one spirited kid. I'll give ya pointers on that. Most of my victims are already shaken up, yet you're still up and kicking."

"That's because I'm having _a blast_!" Yugi grinned as he drew his next card. "I play Silver Fang and equip him with Mystical Moon!"

"HA! You're only wasting your breath with that card! NO ONE can overpower the sea!" Mako smirked as Yugi only deepened his smirk.

"THEN BRING IT ON ALREADY!"

"Oh, _I will!_ I play Leviathan!" Mako proclaimed as he smacked down his monster card and a giant sea monster appeared from the deep.

"Ah shit!" Joey responded.

"That doesn't sound good," Tea said.

"NOW! YOU SHALL FEEL THE WRATH OF THE SEA BY THIS POWERFUL BEAST!" Mako shouted triumphantly as Leviathan arose from the sea and a gigantic wave appeared and wiped out all of Yugi's land area, which included Silver Fang. Yet, Yugi was still smiling and giggling with only 340 life points left.

"Common Yugi!" Hanaski cheered. Mako blinked at the boy saying 'Yugi' instead of 'Atem.'

"Hanaski _always_ calls me that," Yugi explained as Mako nodded, and then focused on the duel. "Well, that was a nice swim."

"But it didn't _just_ take away your monster. _Look!_" Mako said, pointing at the board which showed only one tiny land mass and little sandbars here and here. "YOU HAVE BARELY _ANY_ LAND MASS! YOU CANNOT FIGHT AGAINST THE POWER OF THE SEA!"

"But my life points are still there!"

"Yeah, but if you don't play a card, you automatically lose!"

"I still have a land mass here," Yugi said, pointing to that little island on his Monster Card Zone.

"Wow, are you _always_ this optimistic?"

"I suppose I am," Yugi grinned as he drew his next card.

"Wow, even with the stakes at a _very_ slim area, Yugi is still at it," Joey said in amazement, at a low voice, so Mako wouldn't hear the conversation.

"Why do you think Tea fell in love with him?" Hanaski asked rhetorically, looking at his childhood friend who was gazing at Yugi _so lovingly._ "Tea's always lived a life of hardship. When there's someone that can take that hardship and put a smile on it, Tea becomes attracted to that kind of person."

"Wow, kinda something," Tristan thought.

"Common _Atem_, you can do it!" Tea cheered as Yugi looked back and gave a flirtatious wink. Mako thought nothing of it since he never saw the _Atem_ side of Yugi.

"I play Giant Soldier of Stone in defense mode!" Yugi declared as Mako just stared at the stone soldier with a smirk.

"_Ah,_ I get it! You're gonna move the stone man into the water and make _another_ spot of land!" Mako thought as Yugi still kept his smile. "Unfortunately, that trick isn't going to work. I'm gonna add more monsters!" Mako smirked deviously as the three monsters appeared on each side of the small little island. Everyone gasped as Yugi smirked even deeper. "Now you can't increase your land mass!"

_"Too bad that wasn't your plan,"_ Atem said giggling under his nose. Yugi nodded at his brother in reply.

"Now I switch my Giant Soldier of Stone in attack mode!" Yugi declared.

"You're planning to attack my monsters? But you can't even _see_ them! They're hidden underwater!" Mako cried awestruck. Everyone else was awestruck as well.

"I'm not planning on attacking _your monsters_, silly," Yugi giggled as Mako blinked at the kid. He pointed to Mystical Moon. "I'm attacking the moon. I knew you'd try to overpower my land mass with the sea!" Everyone blinked, including Mako. "I'm not good with Jellyfish, but I know the general rule of sea creatures, they _need_ water to survive. That's why I placed Silver Fang out. I _wanted_ you to attack it, to rise the sea level up." Mako continually was blinking in amazement. This kid read his opponent like a book. _"Of course..."_ He admitted, while rubbing the back of his neck, keeping his smile. "I didn't expect you to use a sea monster that would wipe out _almost_ ALL my land mass. _Still_, the remaining land is enough to destroy the moon, which is gonna leave your sea creatures like _fish outta water_."

Giant Soldier of Stone crushed the moon and the tide of the sea was pushed away. Mako gasped in horror as he watched all his sea creatures, on Yugi's side of the board, on the land _unmoving_. They really did act like _fish outta water_. Yugi smirked widely, showing his teeth. Mako knew this kid beat him_ big time._

"Mako, didn't you know that fish are unsafe _near_ shallow water?" Yugi asked rhetorically with furrowed eyebrows. "Now I summon Curse of Dragon, equip with Burning Land, to wipe out all your monsters and your remaining life points!"

Curse of Dragon flamed all of the sea creatures that were shown out of the water and Mako's life points were dropped to 0. Everyone cheered and gave Yugi a group hug after he exited out of the Duel Box. Mako showed a huge smile after exiting out of the Duel Box. A giggle escaped the sea man's lips as Yugi looked up at him.

"That was a great duel, Atem. I had fun!" Mako grinned.

"Me too! I'd love to duel you again sometime!" Yugi said.

"Sure. One of us is gonna make it to that castle. If not me, I hope it's you. You're a good gamer and I hope to beat you someday."

"We'll see!"

Mako and Yugi clasped their hands together and gave each other a guy hug. After that, they both had a good laugh. There was just something about Mako you just _could not_ hate. Even Mokuba had to admit that, despite the fact Mako acted like a _complete freak_ at times. Atem was very proud of Yugi for his win against Mako and was happy for it too. The kids decided to find other competitors to duel against.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, in the Castle of Duelist Kingdom, Pegasus was sitting on his chair reading the funnies. He was laughing, though not <em>too loud<em>. If there was one thing Pegasus loved, and that was reading cartoons from the funnies. He remembered reading them alot as a kid and nothing more. Then, he grew up and all of those _innocent lives_ had been washed away at the day of his wife's death.

Pegasus heard the door open and noticed his employer walking toward him. Compared to Seto, Pegasus hired those he knew he _could trust_. It was his moto that if you can't trust someone, then _why hire them._ Seto's weakness for _trusting people_ is what gave Pegasus the advantage to take control of Kaiba Corp. Of course, Pegasus was aware that there were _ones_ very loyal to Seto like Atem, Mokuba, and apparently _Hobson_, since he helped Atem escape with Mokuba.

"Sir," Pegasus employer said as Pegasus turned his head to meet his gaze. "It's been six hours. Out of 40 participants, 12 have been shipped out. The first ship will be departing shortly."

"And Atem-boy is still playing, is he not?" Pegasus asked without emotion.

"Yes, he has four star chips, so far."

_"EXCELLENT!"_ Pegasus cried in excitement. "I still want to duel him, but I'm growing impatient about those keys. I suppose I should've been prepared for Atem-boy being _just as loyal_ to Kaiba-boy as Mokuba-boy. It seems that Kaiba-boy and Atem-boy have a _close bond._ Otherwise, he would've given me the key already."

"That's another thing. _The boy_ is with him."

"I figured _that_ much," Pegasus declared while flipping the page of his comic book. "Atem-boy wouldn't leave little Mokuba out of his sight." He then rubbed his chin and a smirk appared on the billionaire's lips. "But, I suppose I could hit two birds with one stone. I need you all to get Mokuba-boy and snatch the key from Atem-boy."

"But _sir_, I've checked the kid's records. He's _not_ gonna be easy to tackle."

"Then we'll distract him and I know _one in particular_ who will do _just_ the trick," Pegasus smirked deviously as he got out his iPad and typed in a few stuff. "Get Kimo to snatch the kid and I will make a phone call to _someone_ in particular."

_"Who?"_

"An assassin. He knows how to go _deep_ into someone's head before _going for the kill._"

"But sir, won't that be _murder_?"

"_Relax_, Atem-boy will be just fine. I'm just having to _daze him up_ a little bit. The kid has a millennium item, he can take care of himself. Knowing Atem-boy, he'll _obviously_ play a shadow game and win. There's no doubt in my mind."

"Um uh... _right_."

"Something also tells me that Kaiba-boy will wake up soon. There's no doubt in my mind he will be _wanting_ to come on this island to be chasing after his Mokuba-boy," Pegasus said while getting up from his chair and facing the window. He looked down at the place where the other players were dueling.

* * *

><p>At the game, everyone had been traveling for at least five hours. Yugi and Joey dueled one person and now Joey had three star chips while Yugi had five. Soon, everyone started growing weary, even Mokuba's legs were starting to hurt. They all decided to rest next to a cliff, since there were no more duelists for Joey or Yugi to duel. Yugi and the rest of the gang laid on the grass, watching clouds go by. Tea laid next to Yugi, her head laying on that nice soft chest. Yugi had his arm around Tea while feeling strands of brown hair on his chin.<p>

"It feels _soooo_ good to feel relaxed for once," Mokuba said, his arms used as a pillow for his head.

"I know,_ right?_" Joey agreed while taking in a huge breath.

"And no more of this stress of Kaiba Crop. or Pegasus taking Gramp's soul," Tea agreed as a slight moan escaped her nose, loving the feeling of being next to Yugi.

"Speaking of which," Yugi remembered as he got out his iPhone and turned it on. Solomon's face appeared on the screen. _"Hey gramps!"_

"HEY!" Everyone greeted.

"Hey kids! How's the competition?" Solomon asked.

"Brother and I won five star chips!" Yugi grinned.

"_That's great!_ You both are like a team."

"So, how're you feeling, Gramps?" Mokuba asked.

"I'm feeling great, _actually_. I'm starting to get used to being here," Solomon grinned with a slight chuckle.

"Don't worry, brother and I will get you outta there," Yugi promised.

"Don't tell me you're still feeling mopy over this."

"I'm fine, I just wished this whole thing never happened. I mean, I could be at the Game Shop right now and brother would be checking in on Mokuba."

"I know things are tough, but you gotta keep going. I know Seto will wake up soon and when he does, I'm sure he'll set things right."

"I hope you're right," Mokuba muttered.

Atem, in spirit form, stared at Mokuba with concern. He looked at Yugi, who nodded and looked at Tea. Yugi gave his girlfriend a kiss on the cheek and asked, "Brother wants out, you think you can make it less _awkward_?"

"Sure," Tea replied, rolling her eyes, before moving her body from Yugi, so he could change to Atem.

Yugi changed into Atem and he wrapped his arms around Mokuba, holding him close. This was the first time the gang has ever seen the two have _any_ contact like this. Mokuba needed a protector, but also _a brother_. Seto wasn't around, so Atem had to fill in that position _temporarily_. It occurred to the friends of how close Atem and Mokuba became since Death-T. _How was Seto going to react to this?_

"No matter what happens," Atem said, rubbing Mokuba's back. Mokuba looked up at Atem, arms around his neck. "As long as we believe in Seto, miracles will happen when you don't even realize it." Mokuba looked up with tearful eyes before holding onto Atem tightly with his head nuzzling in his chest. He held Mokuba gently while stroking his back. "Stay strong, Mokuba. _For Seto._"

"I will," Mokuba promised.

* * *

><p>At the Kaiba Mansion, Hobson took the time in having Seto Kaiba delivered to the mansion and having personal doctors treat the comatose boy. Hobson held Seto's gentle hand, which held <em>"Atem Moto,"<em> written with perminant marker. Even when Seto bathed, those marks printed firmly _never_ washed _or faded away._ There was no doubt this was done by _powerful magic._

Hobson sighed deeply before staring at the picture on the night stand of Seto and Mokuba playing chess. Seto once smiled, but that was _long ago_. Hobson once worked for Gozaburro, but when he was to care for Seto and Mokuba Kaiba, those two had grown on him. He would _always_ work for them. They were almost like _his kids._ If only Gozaburro had been a _better_ father to these kids. They were so sweet and _innocent_ back then.

While thinking about those _deep memories_, Hobson felt a twitch in Seto's fingers. The butler gasped quietly as the fingers twitched some more. Hobson stared at Seto's face, mostly his _eyelids_. Those cold blue eyes were _fluttering_, and than finally snapped open.

_"Master Kaiba!"_ Hobson said awestruck. _Seto Kaiba had awoken,_ and at a bad time too. Especially, when Kaiba Corp. was about to be sold to Industrial Illusions and Mokuba and Atem were in high waters. _What was Seto gonna say about this?_

Seto turned his head and eyed his right hand, which was printed _"Mokuba Kaiba"_ in black permanent marker. What made Seto gasp was the _other name_ printed on his left hand, which read, _"Atem Moto."_

"Mokuba..." Seto muttered, a long pause came, which lasted a good long while. _"Atem..."_

**Flightfoot: I suppose, but there was no explaination for why Yugi wasn't disqualified like Bandit Keith, just like there was no explaination why Joey wasn't disqualified for illigal participation. There kinda was in the anime, but the guards still should've had a list of participants. This is basically my way of explaining the reason. There is a possibility Pegasus could've meant AT LEAST meaning no _more_. Sometimes in tournaments, they mean that. I know at times when I hear the words "at least" it can mean just no less or just no more. Now, that might've been a mistake on the author's part, but Pegasus could've meant no more than 40 cards. Like you could have 30 cards, because a minimum of cards in a duel is usually 20 or so cards. I try to make sure my story adds more sense to it, like why Joey wasn't disqualified. That comes later in my story. Pegasus is aware of Joey's illigal participation. Now, there are some parts I'm still adding to make fun of the show, like the Rape Ship, because they're sticking all the non famous duelists in one room both girls and boys. Also, trapping the top four duelists on the island instead of giving them a ride. At least the Pokemon movie with Mew Two in it, the kids had a way to ride themselves home.**


	8. Messenger From Hell

**OMG! KAIBA FINALLY WOKE UP! This one is gonna be good, it's when Atem gets to duel the gay clown. For those of you that haven't read the manga, will not and I mean WILL NOT see this coming. This is my favorite duel from the manga, because... you'll see rofl.**

**EDIT: I had to redo this, because my friend told me the gun shot wound was unrealistic and I'm very picky about my stories lol. Anyways, I looked up on gunshot wounds Review please!**

Seto had been staring at the ceiling for hours. He was trying to remember the last thing he remembered. Images came and he saw himself and Atem dueling at a Death-T tournament. Then, before he knew it, Seto looked into those dark violet eyes that were filled pain and _agony_. Wait, weren't him and Atem enemies now or... _did that tournament_... NO! _It couldn't be!_ Seto knew that what was meant to make them enemies, only made them _closer friends._ Seto cursed at himself for making that lousy tournament in the first place. He should _never_ have made it! Not only did he grow softer with Atem, he was gave his own brother a _penalty game!_

Wait, _Mokuba!_ Where was he? Would he ever forgive Seto for the pain and agony he was put through? Seto then turned his head and stared at the clock, which held the date that read 8-24. _Wait a sec?_ Wasn't it the middle of _April_? Seto sat up on his bed with sweat on his face. Hobson was staring at the CEO President, who had just woken up.

"Hobson, how long have I been asleep?" Seto asked in a pant.

"_Um..._ four months... sir," Hobson replied as Seto's eyes widened and he stared at the blankets covering him.

"_Shit._ What was I thinking?"

_"Sir?"_

"What's been going on with Kaiba Corp?"

"Well sir, stocks have been piling high and it's now on the vurge of bankruptcy."

"_What?_ That... ugh!" Seto glared before giving out a deep sigh. He placed his hand around the chest area to realize that there was _nothing_ there. Panic had driven the boy. _"The key!"_

"Atem has it," Hobson replied as Seto's eyes blew out of his eye sockets. "Master Mokuba gave the boy that key since... he was the only one he could _trust_."

"_But..._ Atem doesn't know _anything_ about running a company!"

"That's why Master Mokuba was running it. Atem just _guarded_ the key with his life..._ literally._ Those boys are in Duelist Kingdom right now... _forced_ would be the appropriate word."

"_What the hell?_ What does that cheapskate Pegasus want my keys anyways?"

"He's going to buy Kaiba Corp. The Big Five had gone to sell the company without the vice president's consent. They went haywire, attacked the mansion, and..."

"THEY DID _WHAT_? WHAT HAPPENED? IS MOKUBA OKAY?"

"He is, thanks to Atem. It was a good thing he was staying over."

"Why the hell was Atem _doing here_ in the first place?"

"Sir, he's been here every night helping Master Mokuba with his _nightmare issues._ The boy stayed up all night. He was so exhausted, he was having to stay over at the mansion to catch up on some sleep."

Seto stood speechless. Atem... was _helping Mokuba_ with his nightmare problems? There were no words for this. Seto furrowed his eyebrows and stared at Hobson.

"Give me the security tapes," Seto ordered.

"As you wish, Master Kaiba," Hobson obeyed as he helped his master onto the wheel chair and drove him to the security room. It was full of screens of the whole mansion. Hobson took out a video that he saved for when Seto woke up and placed it in the slot of TV screen that wasn't being used.

Seto saw on the empty TV of Mokuba sleeping. He seemed peaceful and soundless, then started twisting and turning and making screaming sounds. Seto's eyebrows rose as he watched his little brother crying. He was, indeed, having _nightmare problems_. Just then, a _familiar figure_ came to the rescue and held the little tike in his arms.

_"Mokuba! Shhhhh. There, there,"_ the voice said in a soothing tone. Seto knew that voice belonged to Atem. _"Shhhhhh."_

_"IT'S NOT FAIR! WHY ISN'T SETO AWAKE YET?"_ Mokuba cried.

_"He will wake up. I promise,"_ Atem promised, while rubbing the boy's back. _"Tell me what you dreamed about."_

_"My brother... was asleep, and... he _never_ woke up... I tried, I REALLY TRIED, BUT... he _never_ woke up,"_ Mokuba sobbed in Atem's chest.

_"I'm sorry."_

_"Could you sleep with me? My brother used to do that when I had nightmares,"_ Mokuba asked as Atem pulled the covers and crawled inside them. Mokuba snuggled next to Atem with sobbing tears rolling down his cheeks. The video was over.

"And that was only the first night," Hobson said as Seto nodded. "He had been staying over for the next several nights after that and... then _it_ happened." He pushed in the next tape, which showed Atem parking his motorcycle, after picking up Mokuba from school.

"Why was Mokuba with him there?" Seto asked.

"Atem also assisted Master Mokuba in _other areas_, other than the nightmares. He would drop and pick up the boy from school, fix him dinner, and even tutor him with his homework. It's no wonder the boy was exhausted," Hobson replied.

"He _cooked_ Mokuba dinner?" Seto asked baffled.

"Breakfast, lunch, and dinner. It was _exquisite_."

Seto continued to watch the video as it changed to the next room where Atem was dragging himself up the stairs and into..._ Seto's bedroom?_ Seto had to shake that thought, since he had no time to complain about that. Mokuba had been working on business work for Kaiba Corp. Seto told Hobson to fast forward to where Mokuba was answering the door, which happened to be the Big Five. Things seemed okay, but then they took Mokuba by his arms and pointed a gun at his chin. This made Seto's head boil, especially when they forced Mokuba to hand over the key. What shocked Seto, was when he saw Mokuba _swallow_ the key, not that the CEO President could blame him. Then, Seto saw Atem shooting Kimo with a pistol, jumping from the stairwell and hiding behind behind a chair, kicking it at the two members of the Big Five, and slipping over Kimo before running from the mansion on his motorcycle with some bleeding marks.

The video was over and Seto knew he _owed_ Atem so much for taking care of Mokuba while comatose. Seto narrowed his eyebrows, feeling anger toward the Big Five for trespassing and attempting to kidnap his little brother.

"Give me the copter, I'm gonna give that rich homo Pegasus a piece of my mind!" Seto ordered as Hobson nodded and quickly called for the Kaiba Corp. helicopter. "_That son of a bitch!_ I'll make him pay and I'll make those assholes pay too! NOBODY DEFIES SETO KAIBA AND GETS AWAY WITH IT! _NOBODY!_"

Seto was able to retreive a helicopter and fly over to Duelist Kingdom. He stared at the two names on the back of his hands. _First_, he had to go for Mokuba. Seto decided to solve the issue of_ Atem's name,_ on his left hand, later.

* * *

><p>At Duelist Kingdom, the gang was well rested and it was time to find more competitors. Atem and Mokuba were close together side by side. Atem had a hold of Mokuba's hand while walking along the plains of the island. The gang decided to hang around this part since Joey's and Atem's monsters were stronger around these areas. There was also the wasteland for Atem to think about.<p>

Kimo and other men, who worked for Pegasus, snuck up on the gang. They all had guns in their hands, since Pegasus warned them that things would get _rough_. The men, all of a sudden, attacked by tackling Atem, Joey, Tristan, and Ryan to the ground while Kimo grabbed a hold of Mokuba. Tea was easily grabbed by one of the guards by her arms and waist as if she was strapped.

"HEY! LET GO OF ME!" Mokuba screamed.

"MOKUBA!" Atem cried, still being held down.

"I'll be taking thi..." the man holding down Atem smirked while digging under his shirt to find the key. It was _nowhere_ in sight. The man searched throughout the boy's pockets and anyplace to store an item. _It was nowhere!_ "WHERE DID YOU HIDE THE KEY?"

"Someplace you'll _never_ dare to look!"

"THAT'S RIGHT!" Mokuba grinned deviously, still squirming to get out of Kimo's arms. "When Atem rescued me from the mansion, he hid the second key in a VERY safe and _secure_ place. YOU'LL NEVER FIND THE KEY!"

"SHUT THE F*** UP, KID!" Kimo shouted before pointing a gun at Mokuba. "Listen punk, tell us where the key is or the kid dies!"

"Like you even have the guts. Do you really want to be declared _murderers_ on an island? I doubt if Mr. Pegasus will be _that_ cruel," Atem smirked after the guard, holding him down, forced him back on his feet.

_"Smart kid,"_ the guard holding Atem smirked. "Aw well. We'll just take the kid and go. Mr. Pegasus ordered us to _just_ go for the kid."

"NO!" Atem cried out before back-kicking the guard, holding him, in the groin.

"_AWWW_ SHIT!" the guard, kicked by Atem, cried out.

Kimo automatically pointed his gun at Atem as he stopped with the fear of the gun. Kimo smirked, "I may not be allowed to _murder_, but I can shoot you down till you're bleeding. Now would you like _that_?" Atem gave Kimo a death glare as he laughed mockingly. Atem knew if he was shot down, he wouldn't be able to rescue Mokuba. "I'll tell ya what. If you win a duel, I'll let the kid go. You'll be dueling against one of Pegasus'... _special guest._ Now, do we have a deal?"

Atem glared at Kimo, then stared at Mokuba into those glowing violet eyes, filled with fear. Atem had not felt so weak in his entire life. He glared at the ground before staring at Kimo with those angry eyes.

"Who's my _challenger_?" Atem asked in a dark tone.

Kimo smirked before carrying Mokuba with one strong arm and showing Atem where his challenger was. His friends were forced by the other guards to stand at a far distance, but not so far that they couldn't see Atem dueling. While walking toward the Duel Box, where the mysterious figure waited, he gave Mokuba defeated and longing eyes. The boy smiled brightly at Atem, which were filled with hope.

Kimo stopped, still holding Mokuba, while Atem walked his way to the Duel Box. He gave Mokuba one last _longing glance_ before stepping in front of the Duel Box. Once Atem saw his opponent, he gasped in horror. Mokuba looked up, hearing the gasp, and made one _horrifying_ gasp himself. They could not believe what they were _seeing_.

"That's..." Mokuba muttered, his body shaking and trembling.

"Some sort of _gay clown_," Atem finished, seeing some ugly old man in a cap and a wizard's hat. He had some sort of puppet that looked exactly like Seto Kaiba, except it was wooden with a bottom mouth that could move up and down. "With a puppet that looks like Seto! ...well, _sorta_."

_"Come in... come in!"_ The Seto puppet said in a weird voice, thrown in by the ventriloquist holding it. The Seto puppet pointed at Atem. _"A-A-Atem... you'll p-p-pay for what you did to me... r-r-revenge... _revenge_... REVENGE!"_

"YOU F***ING SON OF A BITCH!" Atem snapped after hearing the talking puppet. "HOW_ DARE YOU_ MOCK SETO LIKE THAT! YOU BET I'LL SEND YOU _STRAIGHT_ TO HELL AND BURY YOUR ASHES! _THIS_ IS UNFORGIVEABLE!"

"YOU _BITCH ASS!_ ATEM'S GONNA KICK YOUR ASS AND CUT OUT YOUR D***!" Mokuba shouted furiously.

"Somebody's got a mouth," Kimo smirked as a dark chuckle escaped him.

"I swear to you if you try sneaking off, I _will_ kill you!" Atem promised with death written in his eyes. He stared at the ventriloquist with deeper hatred and death-eyes. "I _will_ make you pay for this!"

_"Today is the day I K-K-KILL you!"_ The Seto puppet chuckled darkly before Atem and the ventriloquist shuffled their decks. Though, while shuffling, Atem felt something _crying_ out from the deck. _Something wasn't right!_ They gave their decks back. _"A-A-Atem, we'll each bet th-th-three star chips!"_

"FINE! I DON'T F***ING CARE IF I BET _FIVE_! I'M TAKING YOU DOWN AND SENDING YOU STRAIGHT TO THE BOTTOM BITS OF HELL!" Atem shouted out in anger as the duel began.

_"I p-p-play B-B-Battle Ox!"_ The Seto Puppet declared as Battle Ox appeared on the field. The cries from that deck cried even louder.

"YOU SON OF A BITCH! YOU _STOLE_ SETO'S DECK TOO? I WAS GOING TO SEND YOU STRAIGHT TO HELL, BUT NOW I'M GONNA TEAR YOUR F***ING HEAD OFF!" Atem yelled loudly as he drew his next card. "I play Dark Magician in attack mode and tear off your f***ing Battle Ox that _you_ stole!"

_"WAAAGH! HE G-G-GOT ME!"_ The Seto Puppet cried as Ventriloquist's life points stooped to 1200 life points.

* * *

><p>The friends in the back watched as they saw Atem becoming more pissed as the duel trailed on. Even Joey could see that his friend was given some sort of <em>strange pressure.<em> They were so far, they couldn't see what was _really going on_ from the back. They didn't even know about the Seto Kaiba puppet.

"What's going on with Atem?" Tristan wondered.

"I don't know. He seems _really_ pissed," Hanaski replied.

"It's because of that puppet," one of the guards replied as everyone became baffled. "Pegasus hired a ventriloquist assassin who knows how to get inside people's heads before the kill."

"THAT SON OF A BITCH!" Joey screamed out aloud.

"We figured since Atem and Seto grew so close, he'd _obviously_ be feeling this kind of _pressure_ towards his friend being made into a puppet," the guard explained with a dark chuckle.

"Atem will win, and than f*** you _Jokes_ off for dinner," Ryan glared as the guards kept their smirks, watching the duel.

* * *

><p>Inside the Duel Box, the Seto Puppet drew his next card, then let out a dark chuckle before declaring, <em>"The D-D-Dragon of r-r-revenge has risen from hell!"<em> Then, Blue-Eyes White Dragon appeared on the hologram and Atem let out a sharp gasp. After that, he glared even deeper, especially since that card had _Seto's soul_ inside it. _"Th-Th-That's right. It's B-B-Blue-Eyes White Dragon!"_

"Be careful, Atem! Don't let that _Joke of a duelist_ get to you!" Mokuba warned as Atem gave the boy a nod. "You _have_ to win this game, Atem!_ For my brother!_"

_"B-B-But it's really me, Atem. I'm b-b-borrowing the b-b-body of this doll to get my..."_ The Seto Puppet smirked before Atem interrupted.

"DON'T F*** WITH ME, YOU F***ING HOMO! THIS ISN'T _CHILD'S PLAY_ AND I WILL TAKE YOUR JOKE FOR A DOLL AND STOVE IT DOWN YOUR ASS!" Atem yelled at the top of his lungs.

_"Ateeeeem!"_ a faint voice, coming from Hanaski, shouted from afar. _"Don't let that puppet get to you. He's trying to throw you off!"_

Atem grabbed onto the board that him and the ventriloquist were playing on, and took _a deep breath_. He felt Yugi's hands massaging his shoulders to help him calm down. Atem knew he had to calm down and not let this doll get to him. If he was going to win, he was going to have to let all his anger _go_. When he was sure that he was calm enough to continue the duel, he opened his eyes to wait for the next move.

_"Instead of p-p-playing my Blue-Eyes. I will p-play this card face-down,"_ The Seto Puppet declared as he set a card face-down.

Atem knew his Dark Magician wasn't powerful enough against Blue-Eyes White Dragon without some sort of Spell Card or Field Bonus. He switched Dark Magician into defense mode.

"I summon Curse of Dragon in defense mode," Atem said, this time, in a calm voice.

_"I kn-kn-knew you'd play them in d-d-defense mode,"_ The Seto Puppet proclaimed. It flipped the face-down card. _"Wh-Wh-Which is why I'm p-playing Stop Defense!"_ Atem gasped as he watched all his monsters change to attack mode. _"GO BLUE-EYES!"_

Blue-Eyes White Dragon tore through Curse of Dragon and left Atem with 1000 life points. He could hear the laughing, mocking voice of the Seto puppet screaming in his head. Atem's fists balled up and were laying on the table.

"HA! I bet Kaiba's watching from heaven," Kimo mocked as Mokuba squirmed some more.

"NO! MY BROTHER'S NOT _DEAD_! HE ISN'T!" Mokuba cried. "ATEM PROMISED ME THAT HE'D COME BACK AND I _BELIEVE_ HIM!"

Atem took a deep breath and brought his head back up. He wasn't going to let this puppet beat him, let alone make him give up hope for Seto. He was still there and he would soon wake up. Atem drew his next card, and then smirked as he put down his trap card called Magical Hats.

"I play Magical Hats, which hides my Dark Magician, so Blue-Eyes won't attack it, unless it guesses the _right_ hat," Atem smirked. The Ventriloquist gasped in horror with sweat pouring from his face.

"I'll take down your hates one at a time!" The Seto Puppet, with less of a _mocking voice_, declared. Atem smirked at this, it seemed that the puppet master was starting to lose his touch.

The Blue-Eyes White Dragon blasted the second hat to the right, but there was nothing there. Atem smirked even wider as he drew his next card. He took the cards on the face-down position on the board that was under the holographic hats, took out one of the cards, and then replaced it with_ another card _before shuffling it. Atem placed the three face-down cards back on the Monster Card Zone and the hats reappeared.

"I put down a trap under the Magical Hats. If you choose the wrong hat, you _just_ _might_ activate a trap," Atem smirked as the Ventriloquist showed more sweat droplets. _'Just as I thought, I'm starting to get to him.'_

_"And doing a great job at it too,"_ Yugi smirked with a thumbs up.

"A trap card?" The Ventriloquist gasped as Atem chuckled.

"Yes, and it seems you've_ lost your touch_," Atem smirked as the Ventriloquist glared even deeper. "Maybe you should choose a new hobby."

"SHUT UP!" The Ventriloquist glared, before pointing to the middle hat. "I chose that hat!" The Blue-Eyes White Dragon blasted the middle hat and Atem flipped the trap card to activate it. It was Spellbinding Circle. It engulfed Blue-Eyes White Dragon and it's attack was decreased by 700 points. "NO! BUT _HOW_?"

"Seto's my friend, but he's also _my rival_. I always come up with different stratagies to defeat Blue-Eyes. Since Seto's in the hospital, that gave me time to come up with over one thousand strategies to defeat Blue-Eyes, mostly using Dark Magician. LIKE _THIS ONE_!" Atem declared as Dark Magician emerged from the hat and destroyed Blue-Eyes White Dragon, leaving the Ventriloquist with 700 life points left. Atem showed a smirk in response as he heard his friends, including Mokuba, cheering and leaping for joy. Of course, Mokuba just shot his fist up in the air since he couldn't leap. Atem glared at the puppet master and pointed his index finger at him. "THAT'S FOR SETO!"

The Ventriloquist chuckled manically and summoned another Blue-Eyes White Dragon, before blasting Dark Magician from existence. Atem was left with 500 life points hanging. He glared even deeper as the Ventriloquist threw his voice in the doll again saying,_ "what's wr-wr-wrong Atem? I just played my s-s-second Blue-Eyes!"_

"I told you, stop f***ing with me!" Atem glared suddenly. "You may have three Blue-Eyes, but you don't have Seto's soul. I can hear _her_ crying from the deck. You're nothing, but a scum!"

_"Just p-play your next card, so my d-dragon can blast you to a-ashes!"_ The Seto Puppet mocked as Atem glared even deeper at the Ventriloquist.

Atem stared at his fists and knew that he had no other monster in his deck that can fight another Blue-Eyes White Dragon. Things were seemingly _hopeless_ and the teenager knew it. He was starting to feel the pressure Mokuba felt when trying to deal with the Big Five. Atem couldn't protect Mokuba and he couldn't beat this _Ventriloquist_. All he could do was draw another card and put the monster in defense mode.

_"N-NOW! ATTACK!"_ The Seto Puppet declared victoriously.

_"Noooooo!"_ A familiar voice cried aloud. Atem gasped quietly as he lifted his head up. He was _not_ prepared for what he saw up in the sky, jumping down to the ground right behind the Ventriloquist. It was _Seto Kaiba_, in the flesh. "Kisara! I'm back, you're safe now! _Don't attack!_"

"SETO! I _KNEW_ YOU'D COME BACK!" Mokuba cried excitedly with tears in his eyes.

"Well, well, look who just came back from the grave," Kimo mocked.

"YOU SON OF A BITCH!" Seto yelled madly. "HOW DARE YOU AND THE REST OF YOU ASSHOLES TREAT MY BROTHER LIKE A STUFFED PUPPET!"

"You shoulda thought of that before becoming _comatose_. You know, Atem is more loyal to you than any of us. Maybe _he_ should be your employer."

"Shut the f*** up! Just know that you're so not getting your jobs back!"

_"A-ATTACK BLUE-EYES!"_ The Seto Puppet cried as the Blue-Eyes White Dragon stayed and did not attack.

"She won't attack, because that is _Seto's card_ and it shares his soul," Atem said in a glaring tone. The Blue-Eyes White Dragon vanished from the field and the Blue-Eyes White Dragon card floated to the discard pile.

"Wh..._whyyyy_!" The Ventriloquist cried out, standing up, before dropping the Seto Puppet on the floor. Seto eyed at it, and then squinted his eyes.

"Didn't I already answer that question for you?"

_"Atem,"_ Seto glared as Atem turned his head toward his friend. "Do I even _wanna_ know about the doll?"

"Not really," Atem smirked as Seto replied with a chuckle. Atem eyed on his friend's purple trench coat. "Nice outfit, by the way." Seto glared with folded arms in reply.

* * *

><p>From downhill, the friends were having awestruck looks as they saw Seto Kaiba return in front of their eyes, jumping from his helicopter. They were all wondering <em>how long<em> he'd been up and how he was able to find the strength to even _travel from point A to point B_. Whatever the reason, they were glad, _strangely_. For most, it was because Atem had felt depressed for Seto's loss since the Death-T thing.

"Well, looks like the big mother f***er finally awakens. I still vote on dissing the duff bag, _but heck!_ If it makes Atem happy, I don't give a f***," Ryan shrugged.

"Yeah! Looks like Atem has this under the bags now!" Joey smirked. _"GO ATEM! KICK THAT GUY'S ASS!"_

* * *

><p>At the Duel Box, Atem and the Ventriloquist continued the game, without the Seto Puppet since Seto Kaiba was watching. Atem set his Fernal Imp in attack mode with a huge smirk on his face. He was confident that he could win this game. Seto was watching with folded arms and that same glaring facial expression that Atem missed so much. Mokuba watched with a confident smirk on his face.<p>

"I summon Grappler in defense mode!" The Ventriloquist declared as Atem drew his next card. He peered at his card before making his next move.

"I set one card face-down, then I will summon Celtic Guardian in attack mode!" Atem declared as Celtic Guardian appeared boldly with a sword in its hand. It sliced the Grappler in half and it disappeared from the field. "You know, by this time, I don't know _what_ to call you. I was thinking _'monster,'_ but I'd be insulting my cards."

"Ha _nice_!" Seto complimented with a slight smirk. "Though I think _I_ could come up with a _better insult_."

"I called him _gay clown_ earlier."

"Now _that's_ more like it."

"You boys are _sooo_ hilarious," The Ventriloquist glared sarcastically before drawing his next card. "I'll set this monster in defense mode, then I'll set two cards face-down and end my turn."

"My turn!" Atem declared before drawing his next card. "I play Mystical Elf in defense mode."

Atem and the Ventriloquist glared hardly at each other. The Ventriloquist drew his next card, which was the Blue-Eyes White Dragon. Atem could judge by the excitement look in his enemy's eyes. The Ventriloquist automatically summoned the third Blue-Eyes White Dragon, which made Seto shake in anger. _Nobody_ was allowed to play that card! NOBODY! Seto never even let his _employers_ touch the card. The only person who ever touched it was Mokuba.

"Say your prayers, Atem!" The Ventriloquist smirked. "Attack Atem's Mystical Elf!"

"TRAP! MIRROR FORCE!" Atem declared as a barrier protected his monsters and reflected back at Blue-Eyes.

"Somebody's been rearranging his deck while I was away. I'll need to catch up with you," Seto smirked as Atem gave one back.

Unfortunately, that was too early to be victorious as a trap card was _also_ activated on the Ventriloquist's side of the field. The Ventriloquist activated Attack Negate as the blast from Blue-Eyes White Dragon was sucked into a giant worm hole. He laughed so mockingly and manically.

"Looks like that attack was nothing, but a waste of _your_ time," The Ventriloquist smirked. Atem glared in response as his opponent continued to laugh mockingly. "You're out of options, _I'm afraid_."

"Or so _you_ think," Atem smirked as he looked at the card he just drew. He eyed at Seto. "Mind if I borrow _your card_?"

Seto knew what Atem was thinking, _Blue-Eyes White Dragon_. Even the Ventriloquist could see it through Atem's eyes. Seto never let _anyone_ use his Blue-Eyes White Dragon, let alone _touch it_, besides Mokuba. Seto was about to declare his refusal answer when he felt the burn of his left hand that was written with _Atem's name_. He then remembered that those names on his hands were the _only people_ he could trust. _Everyone_ had turned against him and, besides Hobson, only Mokuba and Atem have _ever_ been _truly loyal_ to Seto. He found it impossible to say_ 'no.'_

"I suppose I can't say _'no,'_" Seto said smirkingly as Atem gave a smile and nodded.

"I play Monster Reborn!" Atem declared. Sweat poured on his opponent's face. "I revive the card that belongs to one of my closest friends _and greatest rivals_ I've ever met. BLUE-EYES WHITE DRAGON, COME FORTH!"

Blue-Eyes White Dragon emerged onto the field with anger in its eyes. The Ventriloquist gasped in horror before the terror of Blue-Eyes White Dragon. Seto smiled at the Ventriloquist's terror and fear.

"But... _we both_ have Blue-Eyes! They'll destroy _each other_!" The Ventriloquist glared.

"Not really," Atem smirked, pointing to his Mystical Elf. "Ever since I had Mystical Elf on the field, she's been chanting_ a spell_. One that combines the attack of the monsters on the field with her own." Blue-Eyes White Dragon's attack points changed to 3800 while the other Blue-Eyes White Dragon still had its 3000.

"WHAT!" The Ventriloquist gasped.

"This is Seto's RAGE and it's _very powerful_! You can ask _him_ yourself!" Atem glared with his thumb pointed toward his rival slash friend. "BLUE-EYES! ATTACK THIS MOTHER F***ER AND SEND HIM STRAIGHT TO HELL!"

Blue-Eyes White Dragon attacked its doppelganger and took out the rest of the Ventriloquist's life points down to 0. Everyone, especially Kimo and the guards, gasped in horror when they saw the third glowing eye appear on Atem's forehead, even _Seto_ was horrified. He had never seen Atem like this, even when he gave his rival a _penalty game_. The Ventriloquist backed up with fear and horror written on his face.

"Wai... _wha_... WHAT _ARE_ YOU?" The Ventriloquist asked, trembling in fear.

"Seto's rage maybe satisfied, but _mine is not_. _NOBODY_ MOCKS MY FRIENDS, STEALS THEIR CARDS, AND HELPS WITH _KIDNAPPING_ HIS LOVED ONES! _NOBODY!_ TO TOP IT ALL OFF, YOU FOOLED AROUND WITH A _WORTHLESS PUPPET_ OF SETO! I WILL NEVER! _NEVER!_ FORGIVE YOU, YOU PIECE OF SHIT!" Atem glared in pure anger and hatred. Seto trembled and shook at Atem's anger and rage that was so powerful, it made the world crumble. Atem took the Ventriloquist by the throat as the third eye glowed brighter and his eyes started showing a tent of red. _"TIMEOUT!"_

The Ventriloquist felt his world going upside down as he noticed a puppet of himself crawling up on his leg. He started kicking around, flipping the chair he sat on, while watching the puppet's eyeballs and mouth gaping horrifically with darkness on the other side of its face. The Ventriloquist kicked and swung around his arms and legs while everyone else gasped at the sight. They only saw a puppet master with _schizophrenia_.

_"Now..."_ Atem smirked, satisfied that he got a good taste of revenge. "You'll be stuck in an illusion with _a cute doll_ of your own."

"Remind me _never_ to get on Atem's bad side," Mokuba said with widened eyes.

"Aw forget it!" Kimo glared as he flipped Mokuba over his back.

_"MOKUBA!"_ Atem cried.

"YOU SON OF A BITCH!" Seto cried, running for Kimo, but then fell on his hands and knees. _"Neh!"_ Apparently, since Seto had just woken up from a coma, he _too weak_ to use anymore energy. It had been used up to go from Domino City, Japan to Duelist Kingdom.

"I'll get Mokuba!" Atem declared while running out of the Duel Box.

Kimo, in a quick flash, shot his gun directly at Atem's rib cage. Atem cried, _"AGH!"_ Then, he fell over on his side with two hands on the place he was shot at. He tried to stand up, but the gun shot was too painful.

"So long, chump!" Kimo smirked before he ran off along with his men.

Atem turned his head and saw two of his friends running to his side and covering the gunshot wound while the rest were chasing after the men who kidnapped Mokuba. _He failed!_ He failed in protecting Mokuba and Pegasus would soon have a hold of the first key, if he went poo. So far, Mokuba was having _constipation problems_, which meant the key was on its way out. Ryan covered the wound with a plastic shopping bag he was planning on using for trash when camping out. Then, he realized something.

"SHIT! There's no alcohol around _or any hospital_ nearby!" Ryan cursed in panic.

"I've got a first aid with me!" Seto pointed out as he opened his suitcase, which he always brought along, and threw a First Aid Kit toward Ryan. He opened it and found a small bottle of alcohol. He poured some into the wound before getting out a small knife he had in his bag.

"This is gonna hurt alot," Ryan said honestly while carefully digging into the wound, avoiding hitting the veins. "Luckily, the bullet didn't dig in too deep."

_"Ugh!"_ Atem responded from the pain as Ryan slowly and carefully removed the bullet. "Thanks."

"Now to stop the bleeding," Ryan said as he got out a dressing from the First Aid Kit and pressed it on Atem's gun shot wound before wrapping it up with a brown wrapping inside the First Aid Kit. The bleeding surprisingly didn't leak through, which meant the wound wasn't serverly major.

The other three chasing after the men returned back, _with no Mokuba_. They came by the boys' side, panting like crazy. Hanaski shook his head while staring at the ground in disappointment.

"Those bastards escaped through a trap hole. We couldn't catch up to them," Joey explained.

Seto was about to snap at the blond when Atem said, "it's... _my fault._ I'm so sorry Seto. I should've caught that man before..."

"Would you stop your _filthy_ bullshit? What's it with you acting like you _owe me_ anything?" Seto asked in a glaring manner.

"Because _I_..." Atem replied, still feeling the pain from the gun shot. "gave you pain. I sent you to the hospital for four months and... it was _my_ fault."

"Stop the bullshit! I was trying to make us enemies. _Obviously_, I failed at _that_ mission, seeing that you're protecting my company and being my brother's babysitter! Don't you think that's enough of that _owing bullshit_ for one day _or four months_?"

"Not really?" Atem replied with a soft smile. Seto sighed deeply in reply as everyone looked up at the direction where the men took Mokuba. One member was lost and _a new one_ had arrived.


	9. Not Going to Lose!

**Well, now that the duel with the gay clown is finished, now Atem has more reason to kick Pegasus' ass. Seto will also be joining the gang, compared to the manga. Atem's gonna need a nurse for a while lol. Also, I'm taking out the part where Joey asks Yami or Atem to not give him any pointers. I don't count the 'something you can show, but cannot see' phrase any pointers. All it did was reveal Mai's magic trick. That's not really helping Joey win, it's more like seeing through Mai's psychic trick. Yami never really helped Joey in dueling Mai. **

**Oh, and by the way. Joey hearing voices was not mentioned in the manga. I added this, because just like Seto hears and sees Blue-Eyes, Joey will feel the same connection with Red-Eyes. This is when Joey first sees it. There really isn't anything with Red-Eyes Black Dragon like Blue-Eyes, so this is my version of its story. It's very much like the same story for Red-Eyes as in Fate's Affect, if you guys read it. Review please!**

Atem crossed his arms with a _very_ annoyed and angry look. Not only did he get shot and lose Mokuba, but he was being carried BRIDAL STYLE! This was more embarrassing than Yugi and Hanaski running off like banshees down the school halls or Yugi and Tea kissing in public. This was Atem's WORST nightmare _of his life._ At least Seto wasn't enjoying this as much, since _he_ was the one carrying Atem this way.

Everyone kept pressing forward, especially since Mokuba was kidnapped. Whatever happened to him was nothing they could change, unless Atem or Joey collected 10 star chips. For Atem, he needed to take a break from dueling, especially since he had a dressing on his waist area from the gunshot that happened only two or three hours ago. Joey decided to catch up on his star chips, since he only had two.

"Hey kid, you wanna duel?" Joey asked a random kid, who's eyes widened seeing Atem being carried by Seto_ bridal style._

"Say one word and I'll kick your f***ing ass," Seto warned the kid as he nodded slowly.

"Uh... _right_. No thank you. I don't wanna lose my star chips," the kid replied as Joey showed a defeated look.

"NICE GOING, _KAIBA_!" Joey shouted at Seto.

"Hey, maybe if one of your so called _friends_ here could carry this son of a bitch, I wouldn't be such an ass, and neither would your _midget friend_," Seto glared.

"THEN WHY ARE YOU F***ING _CARRYING ME_ LIKE A F***IN BABY!" Atem complained before feeling the pain from the wound on his side from stretching to much. "_Ugh!_ Shit, I hate my life!"

"Trust me, I know EXACTLY how you feel: I just woke up from a damn coma, my mansion was attacked, the Big Five turned on me, my company is in the worst possible _bankruptcy_, and I have to CARRY YOU LIKE A _GIRL_!"

"F*** you," Atem muttered with his grimy look.

"_F*** me?_ F*** you!"

"Guys _enough_!" Tea shouted as the two guys gave each other dirty glares that had thousands of insults written on them. Joey was wondering how Atem called Seto_ a friend_ when they were at each other like gravy on rice.

"So, how 'bout you tell me who the white-haired ass is?" Seto asked, trying to keep things _somewhat_ entertaining.

"Ryan Bakura," Ryan replied in a dark tone. "And don't get started with _me_, you f***ing shit hole."

"And here I thought Atem had a bad mouth," Seto smirked as Atem stuck out a middle finger, still keeping his nasty glare.

"Surprisingly, _this_ is better than when you were comatose," Ryan hissed.

_"Really?"_ Seto smirked before letting out a small chuckle. "Did someone miss me or something?"

Atem humphed, while making a firm line on his lips. He still remembered visiting Seto at the hospital and crying over the bed with Joey by his side. Now that Seto was awake, Atem was back to being an ass to the CEO President and the same was going vice versa. It was no wonder that everyone was surprised of the two staring some sort of _friendship_. Friends usually _never_ insulted each other like this.

Seto was given death glares by Atem's friends since he made a rude statement about _someone_ missing him. They held memories of Atem being at Seto's hospital bed while Seto was comatose. Non of them could understand why Atem would be friends with a jerk like Seto Kaiba. Still, deep inside, Atem was more than happy that his friend was not in the hospital bed anymore, even if he was being an asshole,_ like usual._

"Man, when am I gonna find a duelist?" Joey complained as a curtain blond female came by with her smirking lips.

"Hey Joey!" Mai called as everyone turned their heads and saw the smirking blond chick. "We _m..eh..._" She stared wide-eyed at not only Seto being awake from his coma, since it was on the News, but he was _carrying Atem_ like a baby. "ok, I wanna know what the f*** is going on here and why Atem is being carried around like a princess."

"MAI! I SWEAR I WILL..." Atem snapped before Hanaski interrupted.

"Atem, give us time to answer Mai's question," Hanaski said as Atem bit his tongue and held a firm line on his lips. "Atem got shot and Kaiba's carrying him since he can't walk with that gunshot wound and if he's carried any other way, it'll hurt like a bitch."

"_Damn!_ But who the hell is carrying around guns here? Didn't they already check us for weapons?" Mai asked suspiciously.

"Listen bitch, I'm not in the mood right now, so could you ask your f***ing questions later?" Atem snapped as Mai rolled her eyes.

_"Ok, ok,"_ Mai replied, waving her hands in front. "Just askin' was all. You don't need to get all snappy at me."

"You want snappy, I can give it to you," Seto glared.

"Seto," Atem said as the CEO President looked at his rival's direction. "F*** you."

"As much as I'd love to see _true enemies_ fighting, I have some unfinished business with Joey," Mai smirked without noticing Atem's slight chuckle when she said the word_ 'enemies.'_ Just because they were being asses, did not declare them _enemies_. Death-T already proven that, but maybe Mai looked at _friendship_ the wrong way.

Mai stepped sideways and Rex Raptor appeared in the flesh. Atem slapped his hand on his face, knowing who this guy was. Of course Mai hired some Championship _Runner-up_ to duel against Joey! Apparently, this woman didn't take losing very well. Rex snickered at Joey and he gave a gaming smirk.

"So... ya want me to fight, dino boy?" Joey asked.

"That's the idea," Rex smirked.

"Sweet! Then, I can just kick your ass," Joey smirked, showing teeth.

"Wheeler versus Dino Boy, _this_ I gotta see," Seto smirked with a slight chuckle.

"Glad to see another Runner-Up watching my duel," Rex smirked as Seto glared in response. "We have alot more in common you know."

Seto was about to say something in defense when Atem smirked, "yes, but you never tried to _make_ enemies or f*** Weevil's friends." Seto set Atem on the ground a little roughly in response. "_YEOWCH!_ F*** YOU, SETO!"

"Seriously Atem, don't you get tired of these dweebs following you around?" Mai asked smirkingly, before turning her head to Seto. "Not excluding Seto, I wouldn't consider _him_ your friend." Seto smirked in response did he did not like admitting that he had a soft side for Atem. The rest of the gang gave smirks, since _they all_ saw Atem visiting Seto at the hospital when he was comatose.

"Mai, I'd like to duel this chum already!" Rex glared as Mai gave a smirk.

"Right! Go along and win for me, my_ cute little manservant_," Mai replied flirtatiously as Atem burst out laughing, despite this hurting his wound.

"YOU'RE MAI'S _MANSERVANT_?" Atem asked, still laughing. Seto was laughing his head off too. "I'm starting to enjoy having to have Seto carry me around. I pity you, man."

"SHUT THE HELL UP, YOU MOTHER F***ER!" Rex yelled.

"Whatever... _man slave_," Seto insulted with a smirk up his lips. Him and Atem both were gawking up in laughter as Rex's head started to boil. "Does your bitch make you wash her feet too?"

"WOULD YOU BITCHES SHUT THE F*** UP?" Mai screamed at the two.

"Geez Mai, what happened when you lost to Joey?" Atem asked smirkingly.

"Wait, she lost to Wheeler? _That's rich!_" Seto smirked as Mai's head started boiling.

"I will gamble two star chips!" Joey said.

"Then, I will too," Rex smirked and the duel started. "I have the mountain field and you have grassland."

"Fair enough."

"Go Joey!" Tristan cheered.

"You can do it, Joey!" Atem cheered, having to hang onto Seto for support. Though, while cheering, he accidentally moved his wounded area and it started hurting. _"yeow!"_

"Careful with that, Atem!" Tea glared.

"Your bitch is right, don't move around so much!" Seto glared. This made Mai cock-eyed. _Seto was helping Atem?_

Joey seemed excited when drawing his first five cards. An anxious grin appeared on his face as Rex showed a dark chuckling smirk. He knew that Joey had drawn his trump card in his early draw. _Any player_ who revealed this was on the death zone, even Seto knew that. Still, he was curious to see if Joey could beat this amateur.

"I place Baby Dragon in defense mode!" Joey announced before ending his turn and Rex drew his next card.

"I summon my Two-Headed King Rex in attack mode to kill off your Baby Dragon!" Rex declared as Two-Headed King Rex appeared on the field and stepped on Baby Dragon as Joey panicked and sweat dripped from his face.

"Wheeler, you're more pathetic, even _on_ the field!" Seto glared, not very impressed. "Seriously, _Baby Dragon?_ Baby freakin' Dragon? You're a disgrace!"

"SHUT UP, KAIBA! NOBODY ASKED YOU!" Joey shouted as Rex laughed mockingly.

"Then start using _your head_, dork! See, this is why I never want to duel you!"

"Like he even knows _how_," Mai smirked with her arms crossed.

"Apparently, _you_ never used _your head_ either, which is why you _lost_ in the first place," Seto smirked as Mai's head boiled even more.

"I ONLY LOST BECAUSE HE USED THAT F***ING TIME WIZARD WITH HIS BABY DRAGON!" Mai shouted as Seto smirked slightly on his lips.

"So _that's_ what Wheeler was trying to do," Seto realized before glaring at the blond. "Only an armature relies on _one combo_ to win a duel."

"SHUT UP! I've got other strong monsters in my deck!" Joey defended as he drew his next card and searched through his hand. He smirked, and then summoned Battle Steer in attack mode.

"HA! Man, you _are_ an idiot!" Rex smirked, mockingly laughing. "Did you forget about the field bonus?"

"SHIT!" Joey cursed at himself as Seto chuckled mockingly.

"You are _sooo_ hopeless. You might as well just give him your star chips and be done with it," Seto mocked as the Two-Headed King Rex stomped on Joey's Battle Steer. Joey's life points were now 1720.

"Damn it!" Joey responded.

"Joey, don't rush!" Atem warned Joey as he gave his friend a nod.

"Give it up! This weakling's gonna be crushed in no time, by the way he's playing!" Rex smirked.

"He's right, Atem. Unless Wheeler starts getting his act together, he's never gonna win this duel," Seto said factually.

"I believe in Joey!"

"Well, it's gonna take more than _'believing,'_ Atem."

"I play Axe Raider, and this guy gets a field bonus from grassland!" Joey declared before ending his turn.

"I play Sword Arm of Dragon to take down your Axe Raider!" Rex declared as Sword Arm of Dragon swished its tail at Axe Raider and destroyed it, leaving Joey with 1145 life points.

"If you think you can beat my dinosaur deck, you're better off in the ice age!" Rex insulted as Joey panicked and stared down at his field. Seto glared coldly at Joey, watching him at the point of giving up hope.

"Don't tell me you're _giving up!_" Seto smirked as Joey glared at the CEO President. "You're more pathetic than I thought."

"Who's _giving up_, Rich Boy?" Joey asked rhetorically as he searched through his deck to find a card to play. "I set one card face-down."

"Careful Rex, Joey probably has Time Wizard face-down!" Mai warned Rex.

"Relax, hot stuff! That dork probably doesn't even _know_ how to use it!" Rex smirked manically.

"I place Rock Ogre in attack mode!" Joey declared.

"Then I'll play Megazowler to take down your rock monster!" Rex smirked as Megazowler rammed right into Joey's Rock Ogre, leaving Joey with 1140 life points left.

"I play Swamp Battleguard!" Joey declared before Megazowler wiped his monster with its tail, leaving him with 665 life points left

"You're wasting your time, Wheeler!" Seto glared without emotion. "Just what are you trying to prove _exactly_? You're useless!"

"Who asked you to critisize my duels anyways?" Joey asked, getting annoyed with Seto's comments.

"I'm just saying the facts, Wheeler! If I knew that you were just gonna waste your monsters, I would've never bothered _watching_ this duel."

"_I will_ win, Kaiba! Just you watch!"

"Then use that brain of yours! Maybe then, you might have a chance to beat this amateur!"

"Is there any way for Joey to win?" Hanaski asked.

"There is, it depends on if Wheeler can _use_ that big head of his. If he doesn't use it soon, he might as well give out Rex his star chips here and there," Seto replied with his arms crossed.

"Seto's right, and you know if I agree with Seto, then it _must_ be true," Atem said, leaving a side joke.

"Do you think Joey can figure it out?" Hanaski asked.

_"Hm,"_ Seto smirked with his eyes closed. "Let's wait and see if Wheeler can surprise me."

"Well, so far, he seems to be ahead of the game," Atem said, pointing his head toward his blond friend who held confidence.

"I summon my Flame Swordsman!" Joey declared as Flame Swordsman appeared with its flaming sword in attack mode.

"Great, now he brings out a powerful monster wearing a dress," Seto said sarcastically.

"It's time to get down and dirty! Attack Rex's Megazowler!" Joey declared.

"Our monsters have the _same_ attack power!" Rex glared as the two monsters collided. He smirked with a slight chuckle until he watched Flame Swordsman cut through his Megazowler, leaving Rex with 1460 life points. "WHAT?"

"Guess your _Megazowler's_ not so tough now, huh?" Joey smirked victoriously.

"What? _But how?_"

"Flame Swordsman has a type advantage over dinosaur cards. Guess the geek's finally showing progress," Seto explained with a slight shrug.

"That's the way to do it, Joey!" Atem cheered as Mai humphed.

"Now let's see if Wheeler can keep this up and use that big head of his."

"That was just a fluke!" Mai glared with a snobbish look.

"That's why he beat a bitch like you,_ right?_" Seto mocked as Mai's head boiled.

"Listen here, just because your so _big and mighty_, doesn't mean you have the right to mock me!" Mai cried.

"Actually, _it does_," Seto smirked with a slight chuckle. He stared at the blond with a serious look. "Listen here, I could beat you in an instant, especially if you had your ass kicked by Wheeler. It gives me every right to _criticize and mock_ your strategies. Losing can humble somebody to the point where they're on the ground." A smirk appeared on Seto's lips before staring at Joey's duel. "Just be glad Wheelers not an asshole like me. I would've left you dead on the tracks. You can ask Atem."

"I'll put Uraby and end my turn!" Rex declared.

"Then my Flame Swordsman can slice your dino in half!" Joey smirked as Flame Swordsman wipe out Uraby and Rex's life points went down to 720.

"CRAP!"

"What the hell was _that_?" Mai yelled from the Duel Box.

"Can't you see I'm trying to think, bitch?" Rex yelled back before drawing his next card. "I bring out Crawling Dragon in defense mode!"

"Flame Swordsman, slice and dice!" Joey shouted triumphantly as Flame Swordsman cut Crawling Dragon in half. "What's the matter dino freak, have you _run out of cards?_"

"Quit your yap!" Rex glared as he drew his next card, and then showed a slight smirk. Seto narrowed his eyes, knowing Rex had drawn his trump card. "NOW I SUMMON RED-EYES BLACK DRAGON!"

Red-Eyes Black Dragon emerged forth victoriously. Joey awed at this amazing dragon in shock. It was so terrifying, yet _brilliant_. Joey had never seen an amazing dragon like the one that was standing in front of his eyes. It was both terrifying and bewildering. Then, all of a sudden, Joey heard something... _a voice._

_"Brother..."_ A voice called as Joey cocked his eyebrows.

_'Ok, _that_ was weird,'_ Joey thought before focusing on the duel. "Oh crap! That dragon's strong!"

"Crap! Is that..." Atem wondered.

_"Red-Eyes Black Dragon,"_ Seto said without emotion. "It's one of the rarest cards in Duel Monsters. What I'm wondering, is how this _loser_ got a hold of it?"

"I got it as a tournament prize! It's a super rare card!" Rex smirked with a dark chuckle. Joey seemed to be in his own little world while staring at Red-Eyes Black Dragon. "Unfortunately, this card is a dark tribute, so it doesn't get a field bonus. Still, it's enough to wipe the floor with ya! Just look! He's _already_ frozen in fear."

Though, Joey wasn't _frozen in fear_, but in shock. He was hearing something... _a voice_ of some kind. While Rex was talking and bragging, Joey heard, _"brother... is that you? It's me... Damon."_ Joey was starting to think he was going mad. At the same time, he was wondering who or _what_ that voice was. Then, he heard Rex again.

"RED-EYES! ATTACK FLAME SWORDSMAN!" Rex declared as Red-Eyes Black Dragon fired at Flame Swordsman and left Joey with 65 life points. Everyone gasped, Joey was hanging by a thread. "You're useless, Wheeler! _I_ win this duel!"

"JOEY! DON'T GIVE UP!" Atem screamed as Joey stared at the game board. "DON'T GIVE UP!"

Joey knew he was hanging by 65 life points. _Was it _really_ over?_ He couldn't take it! He failed his sister and he failed his friends. There was _no way_ he could win when he barely had any life points left. Rex was going to beat him with that Red-Eyes Black Dragon on the field. Joey looked up at Red-Eyes Black Dragon with loss of hope. He then, heard that voice again.

_"Brother... don't be sad... _please_... I'm right here..."_

_'What's going on?'_ Joey asked himself. _'_Am I going mad?_ At least Atem doesn't know I'm hearing things.'_

_"Don't give up, little brother... _don't_..."_

_'It's official. I think the sun must've gotten to me,'_ Joey thought, but then focused back on the game. He drew his next card, declaring to never give up, _even if he was going crazy._

"Hey Wheeler!" Rex called as Joey looked at his opponent. "How about we have a deal? The winner gets the loser's card! If I win, I get your Time Wizard and if _you_ win, you can have my Red-Eyes!"

_"What?"_ Joey glared awestruck. A gamble, in the middle of a duel while he was hanging by 65 life points? There was _no way_ he was going to agree with that bet, NO WAY! Joey was about to say no when...

_"Say yes! PLEASE!"_ The voice cried out again._ "I want to be with _you_, not _him_..."_ Red-Eyes Black Dragon turned its face toward Rex. Then, Joey _finally_ understood. Was Red-Eyes Black Dragon talking to him?_ Why?_ _"Please, take me."_

"Listen here, Rex! I _won't_ allow that trading card rule!" Mai yelled glaringly. Seto smirked at the fight going on. "You're _my_ manservant, you do as I say!"

"I never even agreed to be your _manservant_, bitch!" Rex argued.

_"Please... help me... I want to be with _you_... I promise I will protect you with my life like I once did years ago, little brother,"_ Damon, the spirit of Red-Eyes Black Dragon, begged as Joey nodded. Even though he was sure he was hearing things, he didn't want this dragon to be with Rex if he didn't want to. _"Thank you."_

"I ACCEPT!" Joey declared with boldness in his eyes.

_"Huh?"_ Rex and Mai replied.

_"I accept!"_ Joey repeated. "If I win, I get Red-Eyes and if you win, you can have my Time Wizard!"

"JOEY!" Atem glared, baffled that Joey accepted a card trading gamble, using the card _he_ gave Joey.

"That Geek's nuts!" Seto glared, also baffled that Joey agreed under those terms. Though, he seemed to be more confident despite his low life point score.

Joey knew he had to think of a win and quickly. He didn't want to rush things, but he didn't want to lose the rest of his life points either. He then, remembered Time Wizard, especially since Rex mentioned the card. Joey turned his Time Wizard card that was still face-down to look over the card. There _was_ a way to win this game with the life points remaining at 65.

"I USE TIME WIZARD!" Joey declared with boldness as Rex and Mai gasped. He was finally using Time Wizard, but did he know how to use it? "It's time for _time_ to move forward! TIME ROULET GO!" _'Common! I need to free Red-Eyes, he's calling me, even though I sound high by saying that.'_ The arrow on Time Wizard's staff it the white and all of Rex's dinosaurs were turned to dust. Rex was left with 0 life points. "I believe Red-Eyes is mine now!"

"What? NO!" Rex cried, but Joey snatched Red-Eyes Black Dragon and stared at the card as he saw a transcend face through the card of a young man with red eyes and long black hair that went to his shoulders.

_"Thank you, little brother,"_ Damon thanked Joey before the transcend face disappeared.

_'Wow, I really _am_ losing my marbles,_' Joey thought.

"Looks like the Geek _finally_ used his head," Seto smirked before picking up Atem again. "And if you complain, I'm dropping you!"

"I'm not complaining, but _I am_ wanting to give Joey a piece of my mind," Atem glared with his arms crossed.

"You know," Mai smirked, eying the sunset across the horizon. "It's getting close to nighttime. How about we call it a truce, especially since you'll need a place to put Atem."

"Only if you don't treat us like how you treat your _man slave_ back there," Seto said as Mai shrugged in reply.

"Whatever," Mai replied as she turned around and walked off into the forest. The gang followed the blond woman.

Atem shot Joey a glare with his arms crossed. Joey eyed it and realized that he gambled the card _Atem_ gave to him. It was no wonder he was pissed. Joey sighed and knew it was time to explain things, especially since Atem didn't have the strength to kick his ass yet.

"Atem, when I saw Red-Eyes, I... _please don't call me crazy_, but I heard a voice," Joey explained as Seto stopped and stared at the blond with serious eyes.

"What _voice_?" Seto asked.

"Why do _you_ wanna know? I was talking to my friend!" Joey glared with crossed arms.

"You _didn't_ answer my question."

"I heard Red-Eyes talking!"

_"Shit!"_ Seto responded before showing a smirk. "Red-Eyes was calling for you."

Atem's glare disappeared and reached for his Dark Magician card. Atem said, "the same thing happened with Dark Magician. Yugi said he _felt_ something calling to him from here."

"I'm sorry for using the card you gave me as a _trading item_. It's like... Red-Eyes was _real_... you know?" Joey asked as Atem let out a sigh. "I guess I'm acting high aren't I?"

"Yes, but people think I have a double personality or am bipolar," Atem smirked before shooting another glare. "_DON'T_ DO THAT AGAIN OR I'LL SEND YOU STRAIGHT TO HELL!"

"Glad you Geeks _made-up_, now let's move. My arms hurt like hell!" Seto said before moving toward the forest.


	10. The Night

**This is where things get settled. Of course, there's also that duel with Panik. Though, for now, things are going to be settled. By the way, there are things I'm revealing ahead of time to turn important events into one night. Like Seto revealing about the duel with Bandit Keith. I also told one of you guys that the duel with Seto and Joey never happened, it actually did, sorry. I just never realized how much happens in one night. I'm not gonna have Seto and Joey duel for several reasons. I mean Joey would probably duel Seto, if he had the chance, but in this one he doesn't. Besides, that duel was pretty pointless. It only showed that Seto was still an ass and in this one, we already showed that, so no dueling for Joey. Review please!**

Everyone walked deep into the forest, following Mai who had offered to help them set up camp. It was a long trip, but the gang finally made it to where Mai had set up camp. Her tent was there and everything. Though, the campfire needed to be rekindled. Still, it was a good place to settle down after the duels taking place.

Hanaski dug out Atem's sleeping bag and laid it next to where the campfire was to be located. Seto gently laid his friend on the sleeping bag. Atem sighed in relief since he was no longer being carried around, especially like a doll. Mai crossed her arms and held a smirk.

"I bet you boys are hungry," Mai smirked before her expression changed to a bossy one. "Joey and Tristan, you both can fetch the water. White-Head and Rich boy can gather the firewood."

"This has _got_ to be a joke!" Seto complained with narrowed eyes. "Are we supposed to take orders from a slut that can't even win a f***ing duel?"

"It's that or starve to death," Atem smirked.

"Besides, if Atem doesn't get food, he'll get sick. I can imagine he lost alot of blood," Mai smirked with her arms crossed. "And I bet you passed out after that incident didn't ya?"

"Actually, I ate some chips, but you prove a good point, and yes, I did pass out." Atem sighed as everyone got to work. Tea and Mai set up the tents, Joey and Tristan fetched for water, and Seto and Ryan gathered firewood. After the firewood was gathered, Atem and the gang got out hot dogs to cook over the campfire.

When Tristan and Joey got out the water, Mai filled it in her shower bag where the water was to come out over her personal shower head. Some of the water, of course, was for drinking. Mai sat by Tea, who was eating her half eaten hot dog.

"You know Tea, you can use my shower head if you want to. Just because you're with _these guys_ doesn't mean you have to smell like one," Mai offered.

_"Excuse me!"_ Seto glared offensively while Atem rolled his eyes with a slight smile.

"Relax, you can have one too," Mai glared as Seto shot one back.

"Let's just hope the bitch don't look," Ryan smirked as Mai's head boiled red hot.

"OF COURSE _NOT_!" Mai yelled as the others laughed.

"Who says you wouldn't? You were staring at my abs when we were waiting for the boat," Atem smirked as Seto gave a slight chuckle.

"_Horny huh?_ No surprise _there_," Seto said as Mai grinned glaringly.

Tea and Mai had their showers before Seto took his turn. Eventually, Joey, Tristan, and Ryan gave in, in getting a shower. Seto got out a small bucket of clean water and a sponge before walking toward the girls. They eyed the CEO President, who seemed _very_ serious.

"I hope you don't mind, but I'd like you bitches to leave while I get asshole here a sponge bath," Seto demanded with seriousness.

"Hey, who gives you the right to..." Mai glared, hating to be bossed around like a dog.

"Sure, we'll give you guys space," Tea agreed as she took Mai by the hand and walked inside the tent they were to sleep at.

"Who the hell does that Rich Boy think he is?"

"That's Kaiba for ya," Tea smirked while rolling her eyes. "Though, he seems to be more caring than the last I saw him."

"He sure has a funny way of _showing_ it!" Mai glared while folding her arms with a grump look.

"He does," Tea said. "Like for instance, he was rude to us, but he was still willing to be the one to sponge bathe Atem. It's strange to see, but I think Kaiba has a good heart. Maybe that's why Atem likes him."

"Wait, Atem _likes_ the mother f***er?" Mai asked baffled.

"Atem claims that Kaiba's one of his closest friends," Tea explained, watching a blinking Mai.

"But... they're always fighting and insulting each other. How can they be _friends_?"

"I guess they have a different way of showing they care," Tea shrugged before letting out a small chuckle. "If they were enemies, Kaiba wouldn't be putting up with carrying Atem around like that."

"I suppose, but I thought friends were like _BFF's_, you know, _always_ getting along."

"I guess it's different with Kaiba and Atem," Tea shrugged. She brought out a smile. "Atem and I used to be enemies, you know."

"Really?"

"I _hated_ him! He was always such an ass and being a bitch. Though, I started seeing a _soft side_ to him. I guess true friendships happen when you start finding something you like about them. Like for you, I see that you're helpful and nice when the stakes aren't high."

_"Thanks,"_ Mai thanked before sighing. "I wonder how long we'll have to be _imprisoned_ here."

"You ladies can come out now!" Seto called as Mai and Tea exited from the tent.

Atem was standing up and limping, trying to walk with his gunshot wound still in the process of healing. Finally, he was able to walk normally, since the gunshot only hurt him from the side and not the hip. The wound was finally healed enough to where he could walk normally. Though, the bandage was required to stay on. Everyone was glad that Atem was healing up from his wound.

Atem walked next to the edge of a cliff with his two fingers on the dressing of the gunshot wound. A sigh escaped him before hearing Mai walking toward him. Atem rose two eyebrows as Mai sat down next to him.

"Mind if I sit? I promise I won't do anything _horny_," Mai asked as Atem rolled his eyes.

_"Whatev,"_ Atem replied before giving out a deep sigh and looking at the stars. He looked at Mai. "Thanks for your hospitality."

"We are _duelists_ right? We have to relax once and a while," Mai said with a soft smile before giving out a sigh. "Though, this is the first time I've been invited to _any_ gathering. I've always been on my own."

"You seem to be a different person from last time."

"Well, it ain't gonna last long. By sunrise, we'll be enemies again. Once the stakes are high, there's no room for _friendships_."

Atem chuckled while rolling his eyes before saying, "that sounds like Seto. I swear, you two could be related."

"Well, I'm _glad_ to be compared to your _friend_," Mai glared, taking that as an insult.

"Actually, _that_ was a compliment. Seto's a good man. A bitchass, but I like him that way."

"Tea says that you two are friends, but yet you both fight and insult each other. Why would you consider someone like him _a friend_?"

"Because he's the type I can be an asshole to and he won't think anything differently of me," Atem replied as Mai blinked. "More like you and Joey."

"Joey?" Mai glared shockingly.

"Yeah, it's not that hard to see that you like him alot. At the same time, you're always onto him like gravy on rice. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if you're crushing on him," Atem smirked before stretching his arms.

"He's my _rival_!" Mai glared baffled. "How can rivalry bring out romance, let alone _friendship_?"

"Rivalry brings out alot of things, Mai," Atem replied as Mai widened her eyes. "All rivalry is, is two opponents wanting to beat the other. Don't you think it's possible for rivals to _enjoy_ playing with each other? I know Seto and I became friends because we _loved_ playing games against each other. In fact, Seto would come over to my place just to play games with me."

"I never thought of it _that way_. I _did_ enjoy that duel... _until I lost_," Mai admitted before a blush rose her cheeks. "Maybe _I am_ crushing on him." She sighed while the wind blew in her hair. "Strange, most guys I've dated I've always been horny and wanting to lick their abs, but I don't feel that way to Joey."

"That's because _lust_ and love are two different words," Atem chuckled while rolling his eyes. "Like you feel lust over f***ing with me, but you can't truly_ love_ me. Same goes with me. You have a fine body and breasts, but I can't truly _love_ you." He then dug on the back of his pocket and got out his wallet. He opened it and slid out a picture and showed it to Mai. She looked at it and saw a young girl with dark blond hair, glowing brown eyes, and showed many childish features. She was in a hospital gown, from what the blond woman can tell. "That girl is the one I _truly_ love."

"She's gorgeous!" Mai said in amazement. "What's her name?"

"Serenity Wheeler, _Joey's sister_."

"Damn!" Mai said with a slight smile and a chuckle. "So _that's_ who Joey was talking about! I thought she was his girlfriend or something."

Atem and Mai gawked up laughing before Atem continued, "That's one of the reasons I came here. Her eyesight's bad and if she doesn't get the money in a year, she'll go blind."

"If you wanna know the truth, I _actually_ came here, because I wanted to find somewhere to belong. I never _belonged_ anywhere. I was abandoned by my family and sent to foster care. Nobody _ever_ wanted me in any clique or group. I've been alone almost all my life and liked it that way..._ or so I would say_," Mai admitted while looking at the ground. "Nobody deserves to be alone or even _likes it_."

"Then you can be _our friend._ Can't we be both rivals _and friends_ too?" Atem asked with a soft smile.

"I suppose I could try it. If you and Seto became friends by _rivalry_, maybe we can too. I've never had friends before," Mai agreed as Atem gave a nod. "Anyways, it's time for me to get some shuteye, and you should too."

"I'll catch up," Atem promised as he watched Mai leave. He smiled before giving off a sigh. Yugi leaned his head on Atem's shoulder.

_"She seems nice. I also think she's starting to understand now,"_ Yugi said.

"I agree."

Atem changed to Yugi, who started feeling the gunshot pain his brother had been feeling throughout most of the afternoon. The night looked _beautiful_ from where Yugi was and a soft smile appeared on his lips. As the wind blew in his hair, he heard a soft ruffling of the grass coming from Tea. She noticed _Yugi_ was out again and sat by his side. They stared at each other deeply.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Tea asked while gazing at the stars.

"Not as beautiful as you, Tea," Yugi said with half-closed eyes.

"You know, Mai isn't as bad as I thought. She seems different from this morning. I'm starting to wonder if every single person I meet has a _double personality_."

_"Tea,"_ Yugi smirked while rolling his eyes. "Brother and I are our _own_ person. We're not _double personality_ and you know that!"

"You two are both in one body right, have your own name, and have your own _personality_. That sounds like double personality to me."

_"Stop it!"_ Yugi smirked as Tea chuckled before laying her hand on Yugi's.

"I love you, Yugi," Tea said dreamily.

"I love you too, Tea."

Yugi and Tea scooted closer with one arm around their backs. Tea gently slid her free hand across the dressing, added to cover the gunshot wound. Yugi smiled winced a little as he noticed a pitied look on Tea's face. Tea didn't like the fact Yugi had to go through _this_ kind of pain. A gunshot, very scary to think about. Yet, Yugi gave out a small smile. Tea finally had to smile, she couldn't help, but like the fact Yugi puts a smile on the worst of things.

Yugi reached up and pressed his lips against Tea's for once small kiss. Tea slowly placed her arms around Yugi's neck and deepened the kiss. There was no letting go of _this_ moment. It was one that would last a lifetime. Tea and Yugi wanted this kiss to last _forever_. While kissing, Seto happened to walk toward the cliff. A smirk appeared on his lips as the two lovers finished their kiss and jumped by Seto's sight.

"Sorry for interrupting your... _moment_, but I need to speak with Atem," Seto said, with a slight smirk when he said the word _'moment.'_ Yugi nodded, stood up, and then changed to Atem before him and Seto walked at a distance to talk alone. "I'm going to rescue Mokuba from that faggot. I don't want you to try and _stop me,_ and I _especially_ don't want you to bring up your mumbo jumbo about _owing me_ anything!"

"I'm not gonna stop you Seto," Atem said before showing a slight smirk. "Like I even have the strength to anyways."

"That's why I'm telling you ahead of time," Seto glared in a serious tone. He sighed deeply before staring back at the castle. "I know what you're trying to do. Beat Pegasus _right?_ He's _inhuman_ Atem! I've seen him play his tournaments. He plays all these players like _pawns_ and you are one of them."

_"I know that!"_ Atem replied with a deepened glare. "Seto, he's using that millennium eye. He can read peoples' minds, though not _one at a time_. I can duel him with Yugi's help and I think it can prevent Pegasus from reading _my_ mind."

"He'll find some _other_ way. He's a smart man. He's not gonna just duel you without preparing for the worst," Seto warned with angry eyes. "HE _WILL_ CRUSH YOU AND TAKE YOUR LOVED ONES! HE ALREADY TOOK MOKUBA!"

"He took my Grandpa too!"

Seto and Atem gave glares. They knew the dangers they were going to face, _even Seto._ He still remembered when Pegasus dueled against Bandit Keith. Seto knew what Pegasus used was _inhuman_ and it seemed Atem was aware of this _inhuman power._ Both of them were willing to take down Pegasus and Seto couldn't just say _'NO!'_ to someone with his key.

Seto sighed and finally said, "Give me a chance to take him down!"

"As I said, _I'm not gonna stop you_," Atem promised. He sighed deeply while looking up at the castle. "Tell me what you saw."

"Pegasus was holding a tournament in America and was dueling against Bandit Keith. I stood as a _Special Guest_, watching the whole thing. Pegasus won by picking some random kid from the audience and writing on a piece of paper on _how_ to win._ I knew he cheated_," Seto explained as Atem nodded, not being surprised by this. Pegasus seemed like a cruel man. "That's why I invented a Duel Disk, though it's still a _testable type_ and needs more work, but this is enough. You say Pegasus can read my mind, but it'll be harder. The cards won't be on the table, but in _this_, you have to zoom it back into your arm _just_ to see what it is. You'd have to have a _photographic memory_ to be able to memorize it like the table top version of Duel Monsters."

_"I see,"_ Atem nodded. He looked up at his friend. "I promise when we get to Duelist Kingdom, I will let you take a whack at him. I won't promise you anything, but there's a chance you... _might win_."

"And after I get Mokuba, I'd like you to give back my key."

"I will."

"I will also like to duel you again after this shithole is over."

"_I accept._ After Duelist Kingdom, we'll have our duel and this time, no more making us _enemies_."

"I've already made it official that we cannot possibly be _enemies_," Seto said while looking at the back of his left hand with Atem's name. Atem took that hand with both of his own hands and stared at Seto with glaring eyes.

"Unless you retrieve the _pieces_ to your heart, you will _never_ be satisfied," Atem warned as Seto snatched his hand away. "Be careful, Seto."

"You don't need to tell me _that_!" Seto glared pridefully and before any warning was made, Atem ran up and hugged Seto, arms around the neck despite being 4'5 and him being 6'2. He flinched and just as he was about to punch the living daylight out of Atem he noticed tears in his rivals eyes.

"Don't you dare go back in that f***ing hospital bed! YOU HEAR ME!" Atem yelled, his hands clamped on Seto's shoulders. "I'M NOT GOING TO ANOTHER TRIP IN HELL!"

"I'LL BEAT PEGASUS WITH MY OWN BARE HANDS AND CARDS!" Seto shouted boldy as he took Atem's hands and pushed him away to where he almost slipped on the ground. "Thanks for taking care of my brother, by the way." Atem replied to that with a soft smile as he wiped his tears. Seto kept his glare and said, "if _I_ don't beat Pegasus, then you can use your so called _magic_ to do so. I know we are after the same thing and until our time comes, I'll use _you_ as my second choice if I lose, but don't bet I'm _planning_ on it!"

"And know that I _will_ win, Seto!" Atem promised boldly. "If anything happens to you. _I will_ get you back! Pegasus sealed Grandpa's soul in my computer, he might do worse to you."

"I'll count on that," Seto smirked before taking off with his suit case.

"Oh, and _one more thing_," Atem said, remembering something. Seto stopped as Atem continued his warning. "Pegasus has a card called Dragon Capture Jar. It can be used to trap Blue-Eyes and used it on his side of the field. He might use that against you."

Seto smirked with a nod before heading back toward Duelist Kingdom. He decided he would deal with Atem's name on his left hand after he was done with rescuing Mokuba. Right now, he was the only thing on the CEO President's mind and Atem knew it. All Atem could do was wish his friend the best of luck. Mokuba meant almost as much to Atem as he did to Seto. Yugi appeared by his brother and shared the same longing eyes.

Seto was still not willing to accept the fact that him and Atem were _good friends_. He always believed friends would interfere with his business work. Though, he seemed to be okay with Mokuba more than last time. On the other hand, Mokuba was vice president, while Atem had nothing with Kaiba Corp. except guarding the key Seto had until he was comatose. Atem let out a sigh while watching Seto disappear into the forest.

All of a sudden, Atem heard a scream and gasped. Tea, who was still on the side of the cliff waiting for Yugi to come out, jumped since she had heard the scream too. _It sounded like Mai!_ Atem and Tea ran down toward the location of the sound. The wound still hurt like a bitch, but a friend's life was too important for Atem to worry about the pain. Tea noticed Atem running a little faster than usual and was starting to slip from the pain. She ran to his side and stopped Atem.

"Careful, I don't want to see _another friend_ in trouble!" Tea warned Atem as she took his arm and ran to Mai's direction, except _slowly_.

Everyone made it to the location of the sound and saw Mai inside a Duel Box with _a mysterious figure_, who was even uglier than the Ventriloquist. He showed an evil smirk as some mysterious darkness destroyed Mai's Harpy Ladies and her life points stooped down to 0. Mai seemed more defeated than when she lost to Joey. Atem gasped at this sight as he ran to the Duel Box with his friends right behind.

"Mai, what's going on?" Atem asked worriedly.

"We heard a scream!" Hanaski said aloud.

"The bitch just lost a duel and now is disqualified," The figure replied in a dark tone. He grabbed Mai by the arm and yanked her. "GIVE ME YOUR STAR CHIPS!"

"Hold just one minute, you f***ing _clown_! Tell us who the hell you are and why you're f***ing with Mai?" Ryan demanded angrily.

"I'm Panik, a _player killer_. I duel duelists on the island and if they lose, they're forced to give me all their star chips," Panik replied in a smirk.

"He's right," Mai warned her friends. "Atem, don't duel this guy! He and other player killers go around the island to steal star chips from others."

"I'll eliminate you just like I did this woman!" Panik smirked widely as Atem felt anger rise in his own body. "Now she is disqualified from the tournament!"

"I'm sorry, Atem. I guess we can't have that duel," Mai said sadly with a soft sigh.

_"NO!"_ Atem refused as his millennium puzzle gave a tent glow and since it was dark, it was easier to notice the glow. Mai gasped as Atem's figure changed to one of _a young child_, but a child who seemed _very_ angry.

"Panik, I accept your duel. You're a meanie and I'm gonna beat your butt and give you a timeout!" Yugi shouted triumphantly.

"_This is rich!_ Pegasus told me you had _another person_ inside you from that millennium trash around your neck, but I didn't know it was a _child_!" Panik mocked as Mai stood baffled. "What's your name by the way?"

"Yugi and I'm ready to, as Brother puts it, _kick your ass_," Yugi glared before pointing his index finger at Panik. "You're nothing, but a bully and I'm gonna teach you a lesson!"

"Very well. We'll use the same Duel Box I used to beat that woman. I'll eliminate you in a flash!"

_"Be careful, Yugi,"_ Atem warned beside his brother. "Something tells me this guy won't be easy to beat."

_'I'll beat him Brother,'_ Yugi promised. _'I'll beat him!'_


	11. Defeat the Darkness

**Yes, Yugi is dueling Panik, especially since I have way too many duels for Atem needing to do. I figured it was fair for Yugi to duel Panik. Besides, that guy is of the darkness and Yugi's of the light, which defeats darkness. So yeah, do the math. As for Seto, he's gonna be facing Pegasus. I'm still trying to figure out how to handle the duel with Seto and Atem. I'm sure I'll come up with something. Review please!**

Mai was speechless. She had just heard the very monster that took her eight star chips that Atem had some sort of _other person_ inside him. She was confused, VERY confused. Though, Atem did seem _different_ from before. He seemed _childlike_, as if he held innocents. Mai turned to Tea who was eying at Yugi and Panik.

"Can you tell me what the hell Panik is talking about?" Mai asked.

"This is probably far fetch, but... Atem shares a body with a spirit named _Yugi_. I don't know how else to explain it," Tea replied.

"Then allow me to answer for you," Ryan said in a glaring manner. "What the bitch is trying to say is that Atem has a _brother_ who lives inside him... or one _like_ his brother. Yugi is technically over 3000 years old. He's borrowing Atem's body since he doesn't have one of his own. I also have someone to share my body with, but... I can't really use it at this moment for... _obvious reasons_."

_"Uh-huh,"_ Mai replied in a grim look while nodding her head. "So Atem has like a _double personality_ thing?"

"I wouldn't call it _that_," Ryan smirked. "Double personality disorder is when you _create_ your other part of yourself and turn it into _its own_ person. Yugi once had his own life, his own body, and everything. He existed _before_ Atem. Atem never _created_ Yugi and the same can go vice versa."

"Sounds like a bunch of bullshit to me," Mai replied with a narrowed look.

"I would've thought to same, to be truthful," Ryan smirked with a dark chuckle. He turned his head and looked over toward Yugi's direction. "Though, when you see the supernatural, you learn that anything is possible. Heck, Yugi barged into my brother's soul room. I get the feeling we're about to face more supernatural, just like we did with that Ventriloquist guy."

Yugi and Panik entered inside the Duel Box with confidence. Yugi was infuriated that this man dared to hurt his friends in this sort of manner. Still, he needed to know why Pegasus would hire _anyone_ to eliminate players when _he_ was the one creating the tournament in the first place. In fact, he seemed too cocky about his millennium eye to want to eliminate _curtain players_ that were too good.

Yugi eyed at Panik with piercing eyes and asked, "so, why is Pegasus hiring _someone_ to interfere the game? I understand the duelists win star chips from each other."

"You know the rules right? Whoever collects 10 star chips, can advance to the castle in the final round, but only _four_ can enter the castle. You're good with math right? How many duelists can you predict will have 10 star chips if there are forty duelists with two star chips each?"

"Two star chips per duelists, who are forty. That makes 80 star chips, so if there were duelists each with 10 star chips, that would make... _eight players_ with 10 star chips," Yugi replied as he gasped quietly while looking up at Panik. Anger rose in the young duelist. "You're trying to get rid of the _other forty star chips_!"

"That's the idea!" Panik grinned manically.

"YOU ROTTON _CHEAT_! NOT ONLY WILL I _GET BACK_ MAI'S STAR CHIPS, BUT I'M GIVING YOU A GOOD _TIMEOUT_! YOUR A BULLY AND A THEIF! I'LL BEAT YOU WITH MY LIFE!" Yugi promised. He pressed a button on his Duelist Glove to release the star chips from his glove. That counted eight star chips. "I'll bet my eight star chips for Mai's eight star chips. That _should_ be enough. Of course, this will also be a shadow game, so the loser gets a _timeout_!"

"Pegasus told me about your little _timeouts_. A person with a millennium item can _prevent_ themselves from a Penalty Game, if they lose. So... to make the stakes _even_..." Panik smirked as he sprung out a wired rope from one of his duel gloves that had twenty crests instead of ten and it lassoed around Yugi's neck tightly. Tea, out of reflects, ran to the Duel Box.

_"YUGI!"_ Tea cried with fear in her heart as Panik laughed evilly.

"There are duelists who flee from us Player Killers, so we use this wire to keep them from escaping our duel. If I win, instead of a penalty game, I'll choke ya to death!" Panik explained before laughing so evilly and maniacally.

_"Fine..."_ Yugi replied in a choking voice, trying to move to a possition to where the rope wasn't so tight that he couldn't speak. _"If... you win... ka..._ you can have my head."

_"Yugi!"_ Atem cried with panic in his eyes._ "Hold on! I know you can do this!"_

Panik and Yugi drew five cards. The girls watched anxiously as they prayed for Yugi to win, so he wouldn't choke to death. This _literally_ was a life or death game, whether Yugi was playing a shadow game _or not_. The others were watching too. Joey seemed fearful about his friend, _especially Hanaski._

"I heard you were popular, you already got your little _fan club_ to cheer for you, but I have_ the darkness!_ I will make sure you're eliminated as the darkness overlaps you and takes whatever you possess!" Panik smirked with a dark chuckle. He drew his first card. "I play Castle of Dark Illusions!"

Darkness had filled Panik's half of the field. Mai gasped as a small castle stood above the game board and darkness devoured all of Panik's field, _including Panik himself._ Yugi glared boldly, knowing Panik was only doing this to _hide_ himself in the darkness. This was probably how he beat Mai and stole her star chips. Darkness can scare _anyone_, it can also be used to_ hide in fear_.

Panik laughed evilly and darkly in the dark as Yugi glared at the man hidden in the darkness. Panik smirked, "You cannot escape the darkness! It _surrounds_ you! I can sense your fear, Yugi!"

"Look out! This was what Panik used to defeat my Harpies!" Mai warned Yugi.

"It's too bad, Yugi! Your monsters won't get a field power bonus from all this darkness, but _all_ my monsters will gain _infinite strength_," Panik smirked.

"I have dark monsters too, you know," Yugi said cock-eyed. "Like Dark Magician is a dark-type..."

_"SHUT THE F*** UP!"_

"I summon Obnoxious Celtic Guardian in defense mode!" Yugi declared. He knew he had play defensively since he couldn't _see_ what Panik was planning.

"Then I'll summon _this_ monster," Panik said, summoning a monster, to which Yugi couldn't see. He had a feeling this would happen with the amount of darkness that surrounded the area. "Now, I'll attack your Celtic Guardian!"

The darkness engulfed Celtic Guardian and he was wiped out from the field. Yugi narrowed his eyebrows as he watched his monster being devoured and wiped from the field. Panik laughed so manically and evilly in the midst of the darkness that engulfed his field.

"You see? You can't escaped the darkness! It surrounds your every corner and follows you wherever you go!" Panik smirked widely.

"Well, my brother represents darkness, so I guess you prove a good point," Yugi shrugged before drawing his next card. "I play Winged Dragon Guardian of the Fortress in defense mode!"

_"Hm,"_ Panik smirked, showing his teeth. "Instead of attacking, I'll summon another monster. _Helpless when blind._ I can sense your fear. My predators are waiting to bite your every bone and flesh."

"Ok... _gross_," Tea cringed.

"I'll shed some light then," Yugi said with his smile. "My Winged Dragon will attack!"

Winged Dragon Guardian of the Fortress attacked with fireballs and caught two monsters on the field. Though, it was only for _a mere second_ before the light vanished into complete darkness. Panik laughed mockingly.

"You can shed some light for _a mere second_ before it vanishes into complete darkness! Face it, Yugi! You're _helpless_ on the field!" Panik smirked with a maniacal laugh. "Now the darkness shall devour your Winged Dragon!" The darkness engulfed Winged Dragon Guardian of the Fortress and he was devoured from the field. Yugi's life points stooped down to 1600. Panik laughed loudly and more maniacally than before. "I _live_ in the darkness, Yugi! It is my home! As long as there's _darkness_, I'M INVINCIBLE!"

Yugi giggled in reply. He couldn't believe this guy called himself _a duelist_. All he was, was about _darkness_. He was hiding his face and his monsters to keep other players from knowing when they were to be attacked. At least Atem fought _man to man_ when fighting, but this guy seemed to use darkness as _a cover_. Not only was he a bully, he was _a coward_. Even Joey would have to agree.

Panik seemed awestruck about Yugi's giggle. He couldn't understand as Yugi smirked, "you maybe happy now, but I doubt if you're gonna like being in the dark _forever_. It's too bad that darkness covers your_ ugly face_, I'd like to see it when I kick your butt."

"WHAT'S _THAT_ SUPPOSED TO MEAN?" Panik yelled questionably with narrowed eyes.

"It's simple, I _found_ a way to beat you!" Yugi smirked as he took a card from his hand. "_This card_ is my key to victory. In five turns, you'll find yourself in a world of hell!" Panik seemed disturbed and panicked, _literally_. Yugi smirked at this. Just like he thought, Panik was nothing but a coward. "I hope you're ready, because I'll show you what _true darkness_ really is!"

"TRUE DARKNESS! _HA!_ Don't make me laugh! As long as my Castle of Dark Illusions hangs over my side of the field, you can't attack my monsters! In other words, I _CAN'T_ LOSE! You should consider the situation before opening your big mouth," Panik smirked with a dark chuckle.

"You call _this_ darkness!" Yugi mocked, laughing in the process. "You should see my brother's room. It's filled with _pure darkness_. The type you've never seen _or want to see!_" Tea was surprised that she was hearing _Yugi_ mock at all. He rarely did this sort of act. "At least you're not giving up after being told that _you'll lose_. No true duelist does, so at least you have some _shed of pride_. For that, I'll _show_ you the card I'll use." Panik's eyes widened in shock as Yugi turned the card around to show the Swords of Revealing Light. "Presto! This card has the power to block enemy attacks for three turns. It also has _another effect_. When on the field, all the face-down monsters are forced to turn face-up. In other words, I'll be able to _see_ the monsters you're hiding and they'll be too weak to attack. With this card, I'll destroy your monsters!"

"WHAT?"

"In five turns, _you're dead!_" Yugi smirked before realizing it was his turn. "I'll play Curse of Dragon in defense mode." Curse of Dragon appeared in a defensive position as Yugi showed a deeper smirk. "By the way, I'll place this next card face-down." He placed a card from his hand face-down on his Spell and Trap Card Zone. "... and end my turn. _Four more turns._"

Panik glared in anger and hatred. He knew that face-down card was Swords of Revealing Light. He had to get ride of it, so this kid would stop making a fool out of him. There was _no way_ he was going to be beaten by a little _fifteen-year-old_ brat who believed he could beat him in four turns. How _dare_ he think that? This was _unacceptable_!

Tea seemed confused. Not only by Yugi's mockery of this guy, but also by him _showing_ his trump card. Wasn't it a duelist's rule to keep their trump card _a secret?_ She didn't know much about Duel Monsters, so Tea was clueless. She turned to Mai, maybe _she_ knew!

"Mai, is it alright for Yugi to show his cards like that?" Tea asked.

Mai shrugged while crossing her arms, replying, "It's not _against the rules._ I think he's planning on using _another weapon_ other than the cards."

"What do you mean?"

"You know how the field is covered by Panik's darkness?" Mai asked as Tea nodded. "As long as he hides in that darkness, _At..._ I mean Yugi can't attack or see him, but there is _one thing_ that can get through that darkness, his voice."

"You mean that's why Yugi's insulting Panik? He's using his _words_ as a weapon?"

"That's the idea!"

Panik drew his next card and showed smirking lips. They turned into laughter as Yugi narrowed his eyebrows and waited for Panik's response and reasoning.

"IDIOT! I've never seen a duelist stupid enough to show me his strategy, let alone his _trump card_! Now it shall go to the grave!" Panik declared as he summoned out Reaper of the Cards. Yugi gasped as Reaper of the Cards flew over to Yugi's field and cut it up with its scythe as everyone else gasped.

"YUGI!" Hanaski cried aloud as Panik laughed maniacally before realizing that _after_ the Reaper of the Cards cut the card in half, a hexagram circle surrounded the monster. Yugi gawked up laughing, along with his brother.

_"Sucker!"_ Atem smirked.

"YOU... WHA... WHAT JUST..." Panik yelled with a furious glare and awestruck.

"I never _said_ that the Swords of Revealing Light was my_ face-down card_. I only said it was my_ key to victory_," Yugi replied, still gawking up in laughter. "Man, I really got ya! That card was _actually_ Spellbinding Circle. Your monster is caught by it." After getting over his laughter. Yugi finally said, "when playing a trap or spell card, I knew I had to watch out for Reaper of the Cards. Now that its caught in my trap, I can play all the spells and traps I want! Sorry your turn was a waste!"

"YOU LITTLE BITCH!"

"Now, I'll play _this_ on the board," Yugi declared, showing the card Swords of Revealing Light, as he placed it face-down on the field. Panik was extremely annoyed by this kid. "I'll also play one more spell card face-down." Panik seemed rather annoyed, but also fearsome. Yugi could feel the fear of Panik as a half smirk developed on his lips. He chuckled darkly and asked, "can you see it, _the rope around your neck?"_

"FOOL! It's _you_ that'll be hanging by the throat! _You're_ the one with _the rope around your neck_, NOT ME!"

_"Don't you realize that you're climbing the steps to the gallows... in the darkness?"_ Yugi asked in a more dark tented voice. Though, he was of the light, the millennium puzzle was filled with enough darkness to show _true darkness_ to anybody. Those violet eyes seemed darker than their normal color to the _panicked_ Panik. _"one step per turn."_ Yugi's voice sounding deviously dark. Yugi finished in a darker tone, _"three turns left."_

Panik felt the tugging of something wrapped around his neck as he was slowly climbing up the steps. He gasped before realizing he was still by the game board. _That illusion,_ it felt so REAL! It felt as if Panik was really _climbing up to the gallows_. Yugi chuckled darkly with a childish smirk that could almost be mistaken for the smirk of the devil.

_"Darkness can throw its fears back at you. Fear that swallows the weak... like you,"_ Yugi smirked deviously in a darker tone.

"LISTEN KID! THE... THE NEXT TIME YOU OPEN YOUR F***ING MOUTH! I'M CUTTING OF YOUR F***ING HEAD AND SENDING YOU STRAIGHT TO HELL!" Panik yelled fearfully, mostly of the darkness surrounding Yugi.

Yugi chuckled darkly before winking, _"it's your turn."_

Panik drew his next card, shaking in fear. Yugi was enjoying torturing Panik like that. He was so scared, he was _shaking_! Yugi folded his arms with narrowed eyes as he watched Panik draw his next card. He stared at it, and than laughed so maniacally and with cockiness to it. Yugi had a hunch on what kind of _card_ it was, especially since he knew Panik was the _defensive type._

"YES!" Panik shouted triumphantly. He slammed the card in his hand down. "I SUMMON KING OF YAMIMAKAI! " King of Yamimakai appeared tall and strong. In the dark, Yugi couldn't see the hologram, but knew its attack was _incredibly strong_. Panik was laughing with the thought of victory. "THIS IS THE CARD THAT WILL SEND YOU TO STRAIGHT TO HELL! Soon, it'll be _over_! You won't even get to play your _trump card_! KING OF YAMIMAKAI! DESTROY YUGI'S DRAGON!"

King of Yamimakai leaped up in the air and shot a huge blast toward Curse of Dragon. Though, before the blast could get to the dragon, Reaper of the Cards with Spellbinding Circle, still intact, stood in front of the dragon and took the blast. Panik gasped in pure horror as Reaper of the Cards was destroyed and wiped from the field, lowering Panik's life points to 1200.

Yugi smirked, "Spellbinding Circle also makes a good shield for my monsters." Panik glared with annoyance and anger written on his face. Yugi drew his next card before flipping up his face-down card, Swords of Revealing Light. "Now I will activate my trump card!"

"WHAT! _NOOOO!_" Panik screamed as the Swords of Revealing Light appeared as glowing swords, which took all the darkness away. They surrounded the Castle of Dark Illusions in the air and revealed all of Panik's monsters. "THE DARKNESS IS GONE!"

"Now that I've shed some light on the subject, I can see your monster's _hideous_ true form," Yugi smirked, pointing his index finger at Panik's revealed monsters under the castle. "You have _nowhere_ to hide!" Panik glared with more hatred. Yugi smirked, showing two fingers while crossing his arms. "Ready for your life to end in _two turns?_" Panik glared at the kid even deeper. Yugi chuckled in amusement. He knew he was getting to this _coward_. "Your monsters won't be able to attack with Swords of Revealing Light for three turns. What _will_ you do?"

Panik looked throughout the field. He saw that he had three powerful monsters while Yugi had only Curse of Dragon. For the Player Killer, he could bring onslaught to Yugi with all his monsters after Swords of Revealing Light was gone. There was no way Yugi could take Panik's life points to 0 with one little _weakling_ for a monster. Panik chuckled deviously before drawing his next card. As soon as he saw it, a victorious laugh escaped his lips.

"Since you're keeping _me_ from attacking, I will put up _a shield_ myself!" Panik said aloud before revealing his spell card. "I play Yellow Luster Shield on Castle of Dark Illusions and everything else beneath it! It also boosts up their defenses!" A yellow shield appeared, circling the Castle of Dark Illusions, surrounding the monsters inside. Panik laughed maniacally as the shield protected his monsters from any attack or scratches. "NOW YOU CAN'T LAY _ONE SCRATCH_ ON ME, BRAT! STILL THINK YOU CAN BEAT ME NOW?"

Yugi stared hardly at Panik as if trying to think. From what Mai could tell, Panik seemed more of a _defensive_ duelist. She had never noticed this when playing against him. Yugi, on the other hand, had known this since the darkness engulfed the field. Mai was wondering the whole time if Yugi would be able to _defeat_ Panik, being the _offensive-type_ duelist.

Yugi chuckled at the same time his brother was. He smirked while pointing his index finger at Panik, "do you realize that you exposed your own _weakness_?" Panik gasped, awestruck. _Him?_ Exposing his own _weakness_? "I've analyzed your dueling strategy since we started playing. YOU'RE NOTHING BUT_ A COWARD!_ YOU CAN'T ATTACK WITHOUT MAKING SURE YOU CAN'T _BE_ ATTACKED FIRST!"

"HOW DARE YOU CALL ME A _COWARD_! I'D LIKE YOU TO SAY THAT AGAIN, SHITHEAD!" Paniked yelled.

_"You're a coward!"_ Yugi smirked, uncaring of Panik's warning. "You cower in the dark and if that doesn't work, you use a shield! You may be big and tough, but you don't have the balls! Not surprised you beat those duelists, whom you _ambushed_ in their beds and _forced_ them to battle!"

"Why you little... I'M GONNA KILL YOU FOR YOUR INSULTS!"

"Then let me say this: I calculated that you'd _use_ a shield," Yugi revealed as Panik turned wide-eyed. "YOU'LL BE CRUSHED IN TWO TURNS, BELIEVE THAT!"

"That's what _you_ think!"

"My turn!" Yugi declared as he drew his next card. "I summon Gaia the Fierce Knight! Then, I'll activate this spell card called Polymerization! I'll combine Curse of Dragon and Gaia to create Gaia the Dragon Champion!" Curse of Dragon and Gaia the Fierce Knight morphed together and formed Gaia the Dragon Champion, which was Gaia riding Curse of Dragon. "And on my next turn, Gaia _will_ defeat you."

Panik growled and glared grinly at Yugi. There was _no way_ he could defeat Panik in _one more turn_! The defensive shield was too high and Curse of Dragon only had 2600 attack points. Though, Yugi was still smiling with confidence. There was no way he was bluffing! Panik decided to strengthen his defenses even more _just in case_ something happened. He drew his next card.

"I'll play Metal Guardian and place him outside of my defense shield. Now my defense is _perfect_! YOU CAN _NEVER_ TOUCH MY MONSTERS, YUGI!" Panik smirked cockily.

_"Wow,"_ Yugi laughed while rolling his eyes. "You are _sooo_ pathetic. All you can think about is being _safe_ from attacks. I can't even explain how _pathetic_ you truly are."

"YOU SON OF A BITCH! AFTER SWORDS OF REVEALING LIGHT DISAPPEAR, I'LL GIVE YOU THE BIGGEST ONSLAUGHT THERE IS!"

"Too late for _that_," Yugi said in a half smirk. "I already got you _right_ where I want you." Panik was, once again, _awestruck_. How could he be _trapped_? "Trying to secure yourself can be dangerous. The more you _protect_ yourself, the more _escape routs_ you cut off. THIS IS MY FINAL TURN!" Yugi drew his next card before taking another card from his hand. "I now play Catapult Turtle!" Catapult Turtle rose on the field with a catapult on its back. "Now I will place Gaia the Dragon Champion and fire him at my target. The speed of the catapult will increase the attack, so this will be a mighty blow!"

"IT'S _WORTHLESS_!" Panik laughed maniacally. "MY MONSTERS ARE PROTECTED BY MY YELLOW LUSTER SHIELD AND METAL GUARDIAN!"

"_Yes_... but I never said I was targeting _your monsters_," Yugi smirked as Panik gasped. "My target is..." He pointed his index finger at the Castle of Dark Illusions. _"that castle!"_

"WHAT?" Panik gasped, eying the castle above his monsters. "But with the shield around it, its defenses are 3100! There's _no way_ you'll be able to penetrate it!"

"There's only one way to find out!" Yugi smirked as Gaia the Dragon Champion was placed on the catapult on the back of Catapult Turtle. It released and attacked the castle. Yugi's life points stooped down to his last 300. _The hit was a hard hit._ Then, the floatation ring started cracking and blasted into pieces, falling around the shield, protecting Panik's monsters.

"You may've destroyed the floatation ring, but the castle was _unharmed_! It seems you couldn't beat me in _this_ turn! How sad! On _my_ turn, the Swords of Revealing Light will disappear and my monsters will destroy you! YOU _CAN'T_ DEFEAT ME!"

Yugi chuckled while rolling his eyes. Panik was starting to get very irritated by that laugh. He asked, "what is it _now_?"

"Do you realize why your castle is still floating _without_ its _floatation ring_?" Yugi asked as Panik had that awestruck look. It dawned on him that the castle shouldn't be floating _without the floatation ring_. "I didn't just play Swords of Revealing Light _just _to see your ugly cards."

Panik then realized that _the Swords of Revealing Light_ were keeping his Castle of Illusions afloat. The swords would disappear and the castle would fall and crush his monsters. The swords slowly started vanishing as Panik watched the castle over his monsters _topple_, and then started falling over his monsters.

"_NOOOO!_ NO! MONSTERS _RUN_!" Panik cried in agony.

"They can't run. Your Yellow Luster Shield is keeping them _in_," Yugi said as the castle crushed onto the monsters,_ including the castle itself._ Panik's life points were now 0. At the same time, the third eye on Yugi's forehead began to glow.

Mai gasped at this sight. _Ryan was right!_ There were _supernatural_ things occurring in Atem! Did that mean that this really _wasn't_ Atem or his _second personality_? Yugi did not seem _human_ at all. It was as if he was from a whole _different world_ or universe. Just seeing Yugi like this made Mai shiver. Yugi's smile widened as darkness filled the whole Duel Box and the rope around his neck felt like _nothing_.

"TIMEOUT!" Yugi yelled as Panik felt his world turned upside down. He was slowly stepping into the gallows before the trap door dropped and he fell into _pure darkness._ He was screaming the whole time he was falling. "They say _pride goes before a fall_. Now you can fall into _true darkness_. One _worse_ than my brother's room."

Yugi left the Duel Box, taking both his and Mai's eight star chips. Everyone left the area from the screaming Player Killer who just faced a Penalty Game. When they made it back to camp, Yugi walked up to Mai with a warm smile and handed out her eight star chips. Mai was stricken by both his generosity and that _kind smile_ Mai never saw in Atem.

"Here, your star chips," Yugi offered.

_"No..."_ Mai refused as Yugi tilted his head. "I can't accept them. _You_ won them and I don't deserve to have them. I lost to him. _I'm sorry_." She sighed while moping her head toward the ground. She, then, lifted her head with a warm smile. "I'm glad you let me join in your group. I've never been part of a group before and... I'm glad I _do_ have friends."

_"Mai,"_ Yugi muttered quietly before he felt Joey snatch the eight star chips.

"Well, since _you_ won't take them, I'll just take em for myself," Joey grinned hungrily. He jumped up in the air like a little boy singing, _"I've got ten star chips! I've got ten star chips!"_

"YOU'RE NOT GETTING OF THE HOOK HERE, JOEY! YOU AIN'T TAKING _NO_ STAR CHIPS!" Mai yelled with a hot boiled head as Joey clasped the eight star chips in the girl's hand.

_"Then take it!"_ Joey said, this time in a serious manner. He brought out a warm smile, for the first time. "If a friend wins something for you, _take it._ Don't let your pride get in the way." Mai looked up at those warm chocolate eyes and felt a smile peeping on those ruby lips. Joey's smile then turned to a teasing one. _"Otherwise you'll end up like Kaiba."_ Everyone laughed at that joke while Yugi rolled his eyes. Joey then realized something. "Speaking of the devil, where the hell is _he_?"

"He was talking with Atem right before we heard Mai scream," Tea said. She crossed her arms with a glaring look. "He should've been able to hear it."

_"He left,"_ Yugi explained as everyone stared at him. "He's going to fight off Pegasus and rescue his brother."

"_By himself?_ What the hell is he thinking?" Tristan asked rhetorically. "Why didn't you stop him?"

"Brother says that this is something _he_ has to do on his own. He's worried, but he says that it's unlike Seto to go _unprepared_ as it is to go fight his battles with _other people_," Yugi replied as Joey glared while staring down at the ground.

"_Yugi_ right?" Mai asked as the boy nodded his head. She put her hand on Yugi's shoulder. "I promise I'll pay you back _eight star chips_. I'll use _these_ to stay in the game, but I will catch up. Count on it!"

"Thanks."

"Tell Atem_ 'thank you,'_" Mai winked as Yugi nodded his head. Immediately, he hugged Mai, arms around her waist. She flinched a little as Tea chuckled.

"He does that to _all_ his friends," Tea chuckled.

"I'm surprised you're not _jealous_," Tristan smirked, arms crossed.

"Tristan, who the hell do you call me? _An anime girl?_" Tea asked rhetorically. "Yugi can hug whoever the hell he wants!"

Yugi broke from his hug and showed a bright smile, showing his teeth. Mai had to admit, Yugi was _different_ from Atem. She also noticed that while Atem was with Serenity, Yugi was with Tea. Yugi and Atem, two different people sharing one body. Mai was starting to pity them both. She'd hate to have a roommate inside her dating some guy from the Nerd's Club or something. Though, they seemed to be fine with dating two different girls.

Everyone finally got to sleep that night. Atem and Ryan were preparing their sleeping bags inside their tent. Since they both had a _body roommate_ that loved snuggling, it was best to not have the others getting _freaked out_. Atem dug himself into the sleeping bag with Yugi snuggling on top of his brother while he zipped the sleeping bag. Ryan also zipped up his sleeping bag, with a gaping invisible object over him.

Yugi nuzzled his head next to Atem's neck, his arms wrapped around the waist. Atem brushed his fingers though that thick black hair, while using the other arm to hold Yugi closer. At the same time, Ryou nuzzled his face into Ryan's chest with his arms around the waist. Ryan petted his brother's thick white hair with his other arm around Ryou, whose smile creeped on his lips and a soft moan escaped his nose.

_"I love you, Ryan,"_ Ryou whispered quietly before feeling a light kiss on his head.

"I love you too, Ryou," Ryan said in a soft whisper.

"You know, it's times like these when I remember how sweet Yugi is _asleep_," Atem said while leaning his cheek against the side of Yugi's head.

"I bet I can name _someone_ who can top that," Ryan smirked as Atem chuckled while rolling his eyes.

"Sorry, but nobody can top Yugi."

"I beg to differ."

Atem chuckled before giving off a deep sigh. He stared up at the ceiling of the tent before noticing Yugi's sweet sleepy face with that soft moaning. Atem slowly turned his sleeping bag over to the other side to where he was on the top and Yugi was on the bottom. Atem held onto that soft gentle face, feeling so _hypnotized_ by this sweet innocent face. He gently pushed those gold locks that were hiding any part of this beautiful face.

Ryan couldn't help, but chuckle. He _finally_ found his match. Only Atem could understand the feelings he held for Ryou. That small gentle boy that held great _innocents_. Ryan found himself copying Atem in the same manner and position. Holding that soft gentle face, pushing any part of his white hair that would cover something so precious. Ryan felt just as _hypnotized_.

Suddenly, there was a clinging sound coming from beside Ryan. He cocked his eyebrows and eyed the millennium ring with one of the pointer parts of the ring pointing _a curtain direction_.

_"Damn,"_ Ryan glared as Atem eyed the rock with cocked eyebrows. "The ring is pointing toward the millennium eye."

"Damn," Atem responded.

"It once pointed to your millennium ring. I think it's like _a millennium item detector_. Ryou says it detects any millennium item the holder seeks."

"Why is it pointing to Pegasus' millennium eye?"

"When it pointed to your puzzle, my guess was that the evil spirit was searching for _you_. He could have awaken, though I haven't seen him, _so far._ Ryou still holds the same innocents, as always. _Still_..."

"Can't be too careful."

"It could also be _me_ activating it. I'm not wanting _the eye_, but... I want to know more about these _millennium items_. I want to know how we can gather your brother's memories. Pegasus must know _something_, being the carrier of the millennium eye."

"I figured_ that much_. Maybe defeating Pegasus will give us the answer," Atem thought before letting out a sigh. He rested his head on his arms. "I just hope we can find a way to defeat Pegasus."

"Same here," Ryan said in a sigh as he laid his head next to Ryou's face. Both him and Atem fell fast asleep in an instant that night for the next morning to arrive.


	12. Call of the Grave

**Here's the next morning. As for Seto Kaiba, I'm not gonna do the scene where he tries to enter the castle and can't, because he doesn't have 10 star chips. In fact, I have a better idea of how Seto enters, but he'll do it the next morning while Atem and the others are trapped in the cave. I can see him, after being with the gang for a while, to get the idea that he needs 10 star chips and that is how he gets in. Just not at three in the morning. **

**Oh, I'm also adding Joey making fun of America, because of Bandit Keith. I don't mean any insult to Americans, in fact, I live in the U.S.A. in Louisiana, so I'd be insulting myself lol. I also like this country and proud to be an American. I just thought I'd add Joey making fun of America a bit to tick off Bandit Keith. Besides, America gets made fun of all the time and I don't really give a crud, so whatever. Review please!**

Everyone woke up the next morning. Everyone had PJ's on and were gathered around the campfire. Almost everyone had dark circles since most of them weren't used to camping on _a summer night_ when it was 80 degrees Fahrenheit. Atem cooked some eggs for everyone and they all ate their breakfast.

A note was left for Atem, an IOU. He smiled and the note before stuffing it in his pocket. After what happened last night, everyone was wondering if there was a time _without_ dueling. For Joey, _any duel_ was fine as long as he gained star chips. So far, Joey received five star chips while Atem had his eight. Joey knew he had to catch up somehow.

After breakfast, everyone dressed and set off to find a duelist. These ones would be _tougher_ since the Player Killers eliminated half the island. Atem and Joey walked side by side with confidence while everyone else trailed behind.

"I can't wait to find some duelist to duel!" Joey grinned.

"Well, if you want your ass kicked _that_ bad, I suppose I could take two of your star chips," Atem teased.

"_HEY!_ WHO'S SIDE ARE YOU ON?" Joey yelled at Atem as he laughed, rolling his eyes.

"Relax, I was just messing with ya."

"Though, the duel's gonna be tougher now that the remaining players are the ones that survived from last night," Tristan thought with his arms crossed.

"You think you can win, Joey?" Hanaski asked.

"Of course I can," Joey grinned cockily. "Nobody can beat Joey Wheeler!"

"Except me and Seto," Atem smirked as Joey's head boiled.

_"Heeeeey!"_ Joey glared in annoyance as Atem laughed in response.

"Atem, be nice. You know Joey's been trying his hardest," Tea glared with her arms crossed.

"I know, but that doesn't mean I'm not allowed to mess with him," Atem smirked as Joey shot his friend a glare with his tongue sticking out.

"You know, I'm gonna kill you someday," Joey glared as Atem gave out a smirk.

"You know, there doesn't seem to be a damn player around here," Ryan noticed with a glare and crossed arms.

"I noticed. It's like vacant around here," Tea agreed, furrowed eyebrows.

"_Eh_ whatev. I'm sure there's bound to be a player around here," Joey shrugged before walking near some trees. "I'm gonna go take a tinkle."

"Hurry up or I'll kick your ass," Atem smirked as Joey returned one back.

Joey walked up behind some rocks and zipped down his pants to go pee. As soon as he was done, he zipped up his pants and was on his way back to his friends, when he felt something _extremely_ painful hit his head. The blond fell right on his front side as another figure appeared behind him. This one had blond hair, covered with a bandanna with the American Flag. He had a twelve-o-clock shadow, some blue jeans, a red shirt with a leather vest over it. He also wore sunglasses and a devilish smirk. This figure had a baseball bat, which he had been carrying since he arrived on the island.

"Looks like we've got ourselves a sucker," the figure said with a dark chuckle. He threw Joey over his back and walked toward a cave. As soon as he made it he called, "Zigor! Sid! Bones! GET YOUR F***ING ASSES OUT HERE!"

Three boys appeared. One had a darker complexion and jet black hair, one was a midget with a hideous face that would make others think he was a zombie, and the last one was a red-head with a weird looking face. The tough guy with the American Flag bandanna smirked deviously while carrying Joey toward the cave.

"Hey boss, did you find somebody?" Zigor asked.

"Yep and this one's an amateur. Either of you guys can duel him," the boss smirked.

"I'll duel him," Bones smirked excitedly. "After all, Bandit Keith, you're the one who helped us win more duels."

"THAT'S RIGHT!" Bandit Keith smirked as he slid his sunglasses half-way down to show his eyes. "Now lets get this chum ready!"

Bandit Keith and his gang entered inside the cave with Joey still knocked out and over his shoulder.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, Atem and his friends waited for a while, but Joey still hadn't arrived. Atem was starting to worry for his friend. Joey never spent more than ten minutes when going tinkle. Atem bit his bottom lip while furrowing his eyebrows. Everyone else was starting to become impatient.<p>

"Gee, what's taking Joey so long?" Tea complained.

"Maybe he's going on number 3," Tristan smirked.

"_Oh,_ you're so gross," Tea glared as Tristan laughed in reply.

"JOEY! GET YOUR ASS DOWN HERE!" Atem cried from the area his friend left in. _No reply._ He was afraid of this. "Joey's in trouble."

"What?" Tristan and Tea said at the same time.

"Joey _always_ replies, even when taking too long doing his _business_," Atem explained with furrowed eyebrows.

"Then we better look for him," Hanaski declared. "Let's split up."

"Ryan and I will check the Duel Boxes, in case Joey decided to duel someone without telling us," Tristan said.

"If he did that, then he's a bigger ass than _me_, and that's saying something," Ryan smirked with folded arms.

"Hanaski, Tea, and I will search around this area," Atem said, pointing to the spot where Joey went to do his business.

Tea, Hanaski, and Atem ran toward the direction where they last spotted Joey. _Who knew where he was at?_ Atem and the other two looked around the area and couldn't find Joey _anywhere_. Atem was starting to feel extremely worried. Where was Joey? What _happened_ to him?

_"I have a bad feeling about this, brother,"_ Yugi said, feeling worried for his friend.

_'Same here. I get the feeling that Joey is in grave danger,'_ Atem agreed. He grabbed the puzzle in his two hands. _'Joey, where are you?'_ The puzzle glowed and he saw a dark cave and a Duel Box inside it. Atem gasped and called, "HANASKI! TEA! I FOUND JOEY! CALL THE OTEHRS!"

"I'll call them!" Hanaski agreed as he ran out to gather the other friends.

"You know where Joey is?" Tea asked.

"_Sort've._ He's underground. We just need to find a cave around here. I've got a feeling we _might_ run into trouble too, so be on your toes," Atem warned as Tea nodded. _'Hang on, Joey. I'll find you.'_

* * *

><p>In the cave, Bandit Keith had just plopped Joey into the seat inside the Duel Box. He was still knocked out from when Bandit Keith whacked him with a baseball bat. Bones sat down on his seat with a huge grin, but then remembered that Joey was still unconscious. Bandit Keith sighed before shaking up Joey to wake him up. He finally fluttered his eyes open.<p>

_"Wha... what the... where am..."_ Joey muttered soggily before looking to his right to see piles of corpse. "YAHHH!" He jumped from his chair, almost tripping, before noticing Bones with his hideous zombie-like face. _"AHHHH!"_

_"Welcome to the Dueling Arena of the Dead!"_ Bones announced in a deepened tone._ "The dead are all around you, Joey! I can sense the fear in you."_

"How the hell do you know my name, and who says I'm _scared_?" Joey glared furiously.

"We overheard your name, loser," Sid smirked while folding his arms.

_"He's right, and you cannot hide the truth from the spirits, Joey. They're all around you, lurking with their eyes of death,"_ Bones smirked in the same deepened tone.

"Ok, I'll admit, I was scared, but not because of the creepy corps... _ok maybe a little_, or the ooga booga rap, IT WAS YOUR CREEPY FACE!" Joey insulted while pointing at Bones' face with his index finger.

The three other guys laughed their heads off and Bandit Keith said, "You know, he's got a point there Bones."

"Yeah, you even creep _me_ out Bones and I'm on your side," Zigor agreed as Bones' head boiled.

"Well, if you're on my side, than stop laughing at me!" Bones yelled before turning to Joey. "So, are we gonna duel or what?"

"Listen here, pal, I never even _agreed_ to this duel. More like I was _forced_!" Joey glared, feeling extremely annoyed.

"Suck it up, you mother f***er, unless you're too _scared_ to duel," Bandit Keith mocked.

"I ain't scared to duel this mother f***er! How many star chips are you talkin?" Joey asked with furrowed eyebrows.

"You're betting _all_ your star chips!" Bones demanded as he slammed down five star chips, including Joey. If he won this duel, he'd have _ten_ star chips. It was time he taught these punks who they were messing with. "This Duel Box has a field bonus of the undead, so my zombie deck gets a power boost!"

"Doesn't matter, I'll still kick your ass!"

Joey and Bones shuffled their decks before returning them. Joey didn't know this kid's strategy, but he was willing to fight this kid. Even when forced in a duel, Joey was never one to back down from a fight. Deep inside, he was also hoping his friends would find him _somehow_. Not even _he_ knew where he was.

Joey got out five cards before drawing one card in his hand. He declared, "I summon Axe Raider in attack mode!" Axe Raider appeared on the field with its mighty ax. Bones just grinned evilly and sickly.

"Oh yeah!" Bones smirked before playing a monster. "I play Medu..."

"No, play the card on the very left," Bandit Keith ordered.

"_Huh?_ But it's not even a zombie-type monster!"

"HEY! NO CHEATING!" Joey yelled across the table.

"_F... Fine_! I play Zanki in attack mode!" Bones declared.

"Man, you're such a wuss! Where's your duelist pride or has_ Captain America_ taken that!" Joey asked insultingly.

"HEY! I just so happen to be Bandit Keith, champion of the U.S. so unless you've been to the regional, shut the f*** up!" Bandit Keith shouted.

"America huh? Explains the flag on your head. For a second, I thought you were just some chump from the ghettos, but I guess all _Americans_ are like that," Joey insulted while shrugging his shoulders.

"HEY! HOW _DARE YOU_ DISS AMERICA!"

"Well, I'm from Japan, so I wouldn't know. I'm just saying the truth. Remember, _we're_ the ones that attacked Pearl Harbor and killed your asses."

"He's got a point, Boss," Sid laughed as Bandit Keith's head started boiling.

"SHUT YOUR F***ING TRAP AND GO STRAIGHT TO F***ING HELL!" Bandit Keith yelled.

"Actually, _I'll_ do that to your little friend," Joey smirked as he had his Axe Raider attack and crush Zanki. Bones was left with 1800. "Japan 1, F***ing America 0!"

_"You say that one more time..."_ Bandit Keith warned with anger.

"_F***ING_ AMERICA!"

"YOU F***ING P***!"

"Don't give me your _Americrap_!"

"YOU F***ING D***HEAD! AFTER BONES IS THROUGH WITH KICKING YOUR F***ING ASS, I'LL SEND IT TO THE LOWEST PITS OF HELL!"

"Been there _and back_."

"Would you quit your arguing, so I can duel this ass?" Bones asked in annoyance.

"Whatever, just beat this asshole," Bandit Keith glared with his arms crossed. He peered at Bones' deck. _"Second card from the left."_

"_What?_ Ar... Are you sure?" Bones asked unsureful.

"No, he's a f***ing _American_," Joey replied.

"SHUT THE F*** UP, YOU ORIENTAL FREAK!" Bandit Keith yelled.

"At least I'm not _American_," Joey smirked as Bandit Keith's head continued to boil.

"I summon Crawling Dragon in defense mode," Bones declared as Crawling Dragon appeared on the field. He was very nervous and unsure.

"Don't worry, I got a strategy for ya," Bandit Keith assured.

"An _American_ stratagy," Joey rephrased it as Bandit Keith shook his fists. "Anyways, my Axe Raider chops that Dragon up!" Axe Raider chopped Crawling Dragon with its ax and another monster was lost from Bones.

"My next card is Crass Clown," Bones declared as Crass Clown appeared.

"Back to the circus, _clown!_ I play Flame Swordsman and he slashes down that clown!" Joey shouted victoriously. Bones' life points were now 1350. Joey felt excitement in his body as he asked, "HEY! After I'm done with Zombie Boy, how about I take down you two _clowns_ and your _American Hero_ Captain Americrap!"

"STOP F***ING WITH ME YOU F***ING D***HEAD!" Bandit Keith shouted in anger.

Bones drew his next card and excitement filled his face. A huge grin appeared on his face as he slammed down the card he just drew, Call of the Haunted. Joey gasped, reading what Call of the Haunted does.

"Now I get it! Boss, you're a f***ing _genius_!" Bones grinned excitedly. "Because Call of the Haunted is on the field, _all_ of my monsters that you destroyed, come back to life in _zombie form_."

"SAY WHAT?" Joey gasped as he watched all three monsters he destroyed coming back from the grave._ "F***!"_

"Nobody disses America, dweeb! It's time you were taught a lesson!" Bandit Keith smirked with a dark chuckle.

"_Ehhhh,_ I hate mummies and I hate _zombies_ even more," Joey cringed.

"And because of the field bonus, my zombies get a huge attack boost up," Bones smirked deviously. "Dragon Zombie, kill Joey's Axe Raider!"

Axe Raider sliced the zombie's head clean and wiped from the field, but the dragon came back once again. Joey stared blankly in horror. Things weren't looking so pleasant for the blond and he knew it. The dragon also had a power boost up. Apparently, the more times the zombie monsters came back, the stronger they'd become. The Zombie Dragon eliminated Joey's Axe Raider and Joey was left with 1620 life points left.

Joey kept asking himself how he was going to beat something already _dead_. He was already losing life points while the monsters were becoming stronger. Still, he couldn't give up! Not for Atem and not for Serenity. Joey knew he had to continue to duel until his life points ran out, and he prayed _they wouldn't._

"I summon Garoozis in attack mode!" Joey declared as Garoozis appeared boldly. "Kill that clown monster!" Garoozis cut up Zombie Clown into pieces before they came back up again. Zombie clown came back to life with higher attack points. Joey gasped as Zombie Clown destroyed Garoozis and Joey's life points stooped to 1530. _"NO!"_

"It's hopeless Joey! You _can't_ win!" Bones smirked devilishly with a dark chuckle.

Joey had his hands on the game board. He couldn't think of a strategy to beat these zombies. Was his situation really _that hopeless?_ Joey knew he _couldn't_ give up. He put _all_ his hope and trust into the monsters in his deck. Joey drew his next card and spotted Time Wizard. A smile appeared on his face.

"I play Time Wizard!" Joey grinned victoriously as Time Wizard appeared on the field. "TIME ROULET GO!" The staff on Time Wizard turned the arrow. It kept turning and turning until it slowly stopped. _It landed on a red._ As soon as it did, Joey gasped and watched as a vortex appeared, sucking Time Wizard and Flamed Swordsman. _"NOOO!"_ His life points were now 630.

"HA! WHAT A DORK! YOU LANDED ON SELF DISTRUCT!" Bandit Keith mocked laughing. Joey felt his own confidence slowly dropping by that laughter.

"I summon Demon Hunter Kojikocy in defense mode," Joey said in defeat.

"Fine, then my Dragon..." Bones was about to declare when...

"Bones, don't attack_ just yet!_" Bandit Keith ordered. "Joey won't get hurt if you take out his monster. Beef up the zombie monster army."

"HEY! HOW ABOUT YOU STOP _CHEATING_ AND GO BACK TO F***ING AMERICA!" Joey yelled, feeling annoyed that Bandit Keith was dueling for Bones.

"WHY DON'T CHA SHUT YOUR F***ING MOUTH!"

"I play Pumpkin The King of Ghosts!" Bones declared, trying to stop the argument between Joey and Bandit Keith, which was driving him _insane_. Pumpkin The King of Ghosts appeared as a huge pumpkin with vines connected to the undead zombie monsters.

_"What the hell?"_ Joey gasped in horror.

"My Pumpkin gives my monsters a power boost at _every_ turn," Bones grinned maniacally.

"OH SHIT!" Joey shouted in awestruck.

"Attack Dragon Zombie!" Bones declared as Dragon Zombie attacked Joey's Demon Hunter Kojikocy.

"CRAP!" Joey cried aloud before drawing another card. "I place another monster in defense mode." Joey's monster appeared in a defense position.

"Then my zombie monsters grow even more powerful and destroy your pathetic monster!" Bones smirked victoriously as his zombie monster attacked Joey's defensive monster.

Joey kept playing his monsters in defense mode before they ended up being destroyed by Bones' zombie monsters. _Was there no way to defeat these zombie monsters?_ Joey placed Tiger Axe in defense mode with hopelessness on his face. He couldn't think of _any way_ to defeat these monsters. Joey kept wishing his friends were here to cheer him on when he was down. It was times like these when he wished he wasn't _alone_.

Bones drew his next card and his smirk grew wider. Joey gasped as he saw the Stop Defense card in Bones' hand. Bones placed this card face-down.

"Now to attack your Tiger Axe!" Bones declared as Joey's Tiger Axe was destroyed by Dragon Zombie. "And now that I have Stop Defense, when you say the word _'defense,'_ I will destroy you!"

Joey knew his situation was hopeless. There was _no way_ he could beat this zombie kid! Now, he couldn't even _defend_ his monsters without Stop Defend activating. Joey kept wishing his friends were here, so he didn't have to feel alone. His arms were shaking and he felt a huge lump on his throat. _Joey couldn't lose!_ Not for Atem and not for Serenity, but things were feeling _hopeless_ for Joey.

_"Joseph..."_ a voice cried out. Joey kept staring at the game board as he felt his world spinning. Great, _an illusion_ while he was losing to a kid with a zombie face. Joey found himself under a tree on a wide meadow of grass.

"What the..." Joey questioned, he never remembered _this place_. An older boy was sitting next to him. The same boy with ruby eyes and long black hair up to his shoulders. Though, he also wore some sort of long sleeved robe with a rope tied around the waist and bare feet. "You... You're _Damon_!"

"Joseph, there comes a time when a man must fight on his own," Damon said with seriousness in his eyes. "That doesn't mean it will be _easy_. One that gives up is a _coward_ and one that loses hope might as well _give up_. Don't lose hope and fight the battle!"

"But... it's _so_ hard!" Joey complained. "Those monsters keep getting stronger and I don't have any monsters to attack them with that are stronger."

"So you're giving up?"

"No... _I don't know!_ I guess I'm... _I'm scared_," Joey admitted as tears developed. He wrapped his arms around his legs. "Maybe I am _a coward_."

Before Joey could say one word, he was automatically picked up and punched square in the stomach. He panted hardly, then fell on his knees before looking up at those angry ruby eyes.

"DON'T YOU _EVER_ SAY THAT, JOSEPH!" Damon shouted angrily. "3000 years ago you saved me and made me realize I wasn't a monster. How can you even call yourself _a coward_?"

"Uh dude. I'm fifteen, I'm not your brother."

"You're a _reincarnated version_ of him and share everything Joseph was," Damon corrected as Joey turned his head and saw a mirrored figure of himself in a similar outfit Damon was wearing. The only difference was that he wore a weird looking belt with a sword. He looked like a _true_ warrior.

"That's... _me?_"

Damon grabbed a hold of Joey's chin and turned it toward him. Joey stared at those glowing ruby eyes with a kind warm smile hidden under them.

"A true warrior never gives up in battle. It's only hopeless when you're too blind to see that spark of hope in front of you," Damon said as Joey nodded with a newfound courage. "Now go out there and fight!"

"I will, Damon!" Joey promised before standing on his feet with furrowed eyes. He then rose his eyebrows, realizing something. "I hope nobody heard anything I just said in his illusion."

"Relax, you're only talking in the illusion, _not_ from the outside," Damon chuckled before his face changed to a serious one. "Now let's fight together!"

"Glad to have you on my side, Red-Eyes," Joey smirked as Damon returned one, showing glowing red eyes.

* * *

><p>Joey woke up from his illusion, given to him by the spirit of Red-Eyes Black Dragon. He gave out a confident smirk as he drew his next card. He gasped, seeing Red-Eyes Black Dragon. Joey could feel the fighting spirit of Damon, wanting to take a crack at these guys.<p>

"Ok folks, I summon Red-Eyes on the field!" Joey declared triumphantly as his enemies gasped. Red-Eyes Black Dragon appeared on the field with power and glory.

"WHAT? WHERE THE HELL DID YOU GET THAT CARD?" Bandit Keith asked angrily.

"I won it!" Joey bragged with a victorious smirk. "Now say hello to my little friend. Time to make Pumpkin Stew!" Red-Eyes Black Dragon blasted Pumpkin The King of the Ghosts and Bones was left with 900 life points. Joey gazed at his Red-Eyes Black Dragon with a warm smile. _"Thanks, Red-Eyes."_

_"Don't mention it, little bro,"_ Damon replied as the dragon winked.

_'Brother huh? I've always wanted an older brother,'_ Joey thought with a slight chuckle.

"You're gonna pay for that!" Bones yelled with angry eyes. "Dragon Zombie, destroy Joey's Red-Eyes!"

Dragon Zombie blasted Red-Eyes Black Dragon from the field. Joey gasped in horror as his dragon was destroyed. Yet, he heard the spirit saying, _"don't worry, I'm fine. Just keep fighting! I know you can do it, Joseph!"_

Joey smirked and nodded before drawing his next card. He wasn't gonna let some bully from the U.S. treat him like shit. He was going to fight like a true warrior. Joey peered at his card and his smirk grew. He drew the right card! An exciting chuckle filled his lips as he made his next move.

"I'll play Kung Fu Fighter Ultimator in attack mode, then I'll use my spell card Shield and Sword!" Joey declared as his enemies gasped in horror. Even Bones was looking pale. "Gee Zombie Boy, you're looking more pale than usual, _and that's saying something._" Bones stared in horror as his zombie monster's attack points changed to 0 since their defenses were 0. Joey chuckled excitedly as he watched his monster's attack change from 700 to 1000. "OK KUNG FU FIGHTER! PUT THOSE F***ING ZOMBIES BACK TO THEIR GRAVES!" Kung Fu Fighter Ultimator destroyed Dragon Zombie, depleting the rest of Bones' life points.

_"NOOOO!"_ Bones cried in agony as Joey took a hold of the midget and punched him across the face. "UGH!"

"THAT'S FOR KIDNAPPING ME AND FORCING ME TO A DUEL!" Joey screamed at the kid as he growled in anger with blood dripping from his mouth.

"_YOU LOST_ YOU F***ING MORON!" Bandit Keith yelled as everyone heard _running footsteps_.

Joey saw his best friend Atem running across the cave. Out of reflects, Joey ran from the Duel Box and toward Atem, grabbing him with strong arms. Joey felt relief overflowing him that his friends had finally found him.

"ATEM! YOU CAME!" Joey cried happily.

"Joey, are you okay?" Atem asked in worry.

"_OKAY?_ I JUST WON TEN STAR CHIPS! OF COURSE I'M _OKAY_!" Joey grinned excitedly.

"Whatever, I'm leaving this joint!" Bandit Keith declared before shoving passed Atem's friends along with Bones, Sid, and Zogar.

"Who are you and why the hell did you kidnap my friend?" Atem demanded angrily.

"His name's Bandit Keith and he forced me to duel in his f***ing joint!" Joey explained.

"_Bandit Keith?_ Seto told me you dueled against Pegasus," Atem said as Bandit Keith froze in place and turned his face that was filled with threat. "You're here to settle the score, aren't you?"

"Yeah, _so?_ Are you trying to stop me or something?"

"No, in fact, _I'm also_ trying to stop Pegasus myself. Keith, he's a cheater! That's why he was able to get a kid from the audience and..."

"I f***ing know _that_! It doesn't take a rocket scientist, kid! Pegasus cheated me and now I'm gonna give him a piece of my mind!"

"It won't be easy, Pegasus has a way of _reading people's minds_," Atem explained, trying to make the reading mind part sound like an expression, so Bandit Keith didn't think he was high.

_"Whatever!"_ Bandit Keith snapped. He opened his vest up to show his different deck sets. "I'm prepared for _anything_. If f***ing Pegasus wants to cheat, then I can cheat too! You and your little peep squad can just f*** off, _goth baby!_"

Bandit Keith and his gang left it at that. Atem sighed with a small smile on his lips. He was more than relieved that Joey was okay. Now he had 10 star chips. Enough to enter inside the castle. Atem only had eight, so he needed two more for the castle. Though, he still had to keep that promise to Seto for him to duel Pegasus first. Atem hoped in his heart that Seto would be okay.

Atem and his friends decided to get out of the cave as quickly as possible. Atem needed two more star chips in order to save his grandpa and Mokuba. Everyone were all glad to finally be rejoined together again. Joey was anxiously excited about his ten star chips. He was skipping along the cave while gazing happily at his star chips.

"Joey, would you stop _embarrassing_ yourself?" Tristan teased as Joey glared at his friend.

"Well, _that_ compared to the crap Yugi does, is nothing," Atem argued with a smirk up his lips.

"True," Tristan agreed while shrugging his shoulders.

"So, how did you guys find me?" Joey asked.

"I sensed you underground with my millennium puzzle," Atem started, holding the object around his neck. "Then, we searched for anyplace that lead underground and found this place. Good thing I brought a flashlight with me, so this place don't seem so _dark_." A smirk appeared on his lips while flashing around with his flashlight that was in his hand.

_"Showoff,"_ Joey muttered before everyone heard _a sound_. They gasped as they saw the end of the tunnel began to close. Bandit Keith showed his smirking face.

"See ya, ladies," Bandit Keith smirked before the cave closed.

"THAT SON OF A BITCH!" Joey shouted, his fist up in the air. "WHEN WE GET TO THAT CASTLE, YOU'RE ALL MINE!"

"Settle down, Joey," Atem warned, calming his friend down. "Let's just find _another_ way out."

"I hope this place doesn't provide _dead ends_," Tristan said.

"Are we ever gonna get out? _I'm scared_," Hanaski muttered, his lips trembling.

Atem changed to Yugi and he grabbed a hold of his friend's hand saying, "don't worry, I'll be with you."

"Thank you, Yugi," Hanaski thanked brightly as Yugi nodded his head.

"Common, let's search around here for an exit," Yugi said, leading the way while guiding his fearful friend.


	13. The Magic of the Maze

**Now everybody's trapped! MUAHAHAHAHA! Now, just to clarify some things, Ryan won't put on the Ring around the Labyrinth chapter like the manga. For Ryou, he's timid and scared easily, so he won't put the ring back on until sometime later in this story. Yes, Yami Ryou returns sometime in his story, but not now. **

**Oh, one more thing. I don't know if the Paradox Brothers rhymed or not in the original jap. It's possible that they could have and it doesn't sound rhymie, because it's translated from jap to English. Though, they do talk in the manga in the style of a poem, which gives a hint that they could have _rhymed_ in the jap too. I'll also do line rhymes, which is a repeat of a few words in a line. They only rhyme when both brothers are talking together. If one is talking and not the other, no rhyme. That's how it goes. Review please!**

Everyone walked in the cave for so long, their legs were starting to hurt. It was a good thing Atem's flashlight lasted for a whole day before blowing out. Still, things were seemingly _hopeless_ into escaping the cave. Yugi was guiding his friends into the cave, finding a way out. Suddenly, there was a fork along the cave.

"Well, _this is brilliant!_" Joey complained. "We're stuck in this damn cave, my feet hurt, AND I'M _HUNGRY_!"

"But we ate like two hours ago," Tea reminded.

"I can't go without a snack for _two whole hours_!"

"Suck it up, Joey! After we get out of this damn cave, we'll give you some f***ing food!" Ryan glared before letting out a sigh.

_"Ryan, maybe we can use our ring!"_ Ryou said beside his brother. Ryan smirked before digging into his bag and got out the millennium ring, giving everyone heart attacks.

"RYAN! YOU STILL _HAVE_ THAT THING?" Tristan asked awestruck.

"Just because my brother has an evil spirit, that doesn't mean I'm f***ing with him!" Ryan glared as he stared at the piece of jewelry and one of the pointers pointed toward a curtain direction of the cave. "This will be pointing toward Pegasus' eye, which will lead us out of this f***ing place."

"Great idea, Ryan!" Yugi said.

"Actually, it was Ryou's idea," Ryan corrected as everyone walked in the same direction the millennium ring was pointing at.

"MAN! I'M HUNGRY! _I NEEEEEED FOOOOOOOD!_" Joey wined.

"Here's an idea, how about this: if you don't stop wining, I'll shove your d*** up your ass?" Ryan warned with a huge glare as Joey gulped.

"Yugi, we'll we _ever_ get out?" Hanaski asked fearfully.

"Don't worry, we will," Yugi promised with his warm smile.

Hanaski gave a hopeful smile as him and Yugi kept walking. The walls of the cave were slowly becoming more smooth and the floor was becoming more like marble floors. Things were seemingly _hopeful_ now, thanks to Ryan's millennium ring. Now, the cave was changing into a labyrinth. The gang soon spotted a door at the end of the tunnel.

"Looks like we made it!" Ryan said in happiness.

"Looks like it," Tristan smirked.

"Maybe we can finally find some food!" Joey grinned hungrily.

"Joey, must you _always_ think with your stomach?" Tea asked glaringly.

"Let's just get out of here!" Yugi smirked before opening the door, which led to a room with light. There was marble floor and a high ceiling.

"What the hell is this place?" Tristan asked before the gang flinched by the sudden jumps and flips by twin bald men with ninja robes. They landed on their feet back to back.

"We are..." one bald man said.

"the Paradox Brothers..." the other bald man introduced.

"The guardians of the labyrinth," the twin men finished together.

"You have _got_ to be f***ing kidding me," Ryan glared in annoyance.

"Ryan, I think your ring is a gaydar," Joey smirked.

_"Gaydar?"_

"A radar that attracts gay men."

"Brother, what do we have here?" one of the bald men asked.

"Lost travelers, lost in a maze, we have here," the second bald man replied.

"If you want to escape from this cave..."

"You must defeat us in a duel, to be saved..."

"Defeat us..."

"In a tag-team duel!" both brothers finished, pointing their hands toward the tag-team dueling table.

"_Tag-Team_ duel?" Hanaski questioned.

"Seto told brother about this. It's when two duelists fight against another pair of two duelists. The rules are different from a regular duel. You see, a two pairs are to team up and duel against another pair. Each person gets a turn. It can go clockwise, counterclockwise, or crisscross, depending on who goes first, second, third, or fourth. When _tag-teaming_, nobody can attack until all the players have taken their turn. Also, if one of the members goes out, so does the other, since they share life points. It's basically all about teamwork and strategy," Yugi explained as everyone gazed in amazement.

"So, I guess _we'll_ have to work together, huh Yuge?" Joey asked.

"If we're to get out of here alive, I suppose we should," Yugi agreed.

Joey and Yugi stepped forward onto the dueling table. Joey asked, "Yuge, you need two more star chips right? How about each of us wager one star chip, so when we win, _you_ can have two and we won't be losing anything."

"Great idea, Joey," Yugi agreed, nodding his head.

"Then, my brother and I will wager one," the first bald man decided.

"And trap you here when _we_ won," the second bald man said.

"By the way, mario brothers, what are your names?" Joey asked.

"I am Para," the first bald man, Para, replied.

"I am Dox," the second bald man, Dox, replied.

"Together we are..."

_"The Paradox Brothers,"_ the Paradox brothers ended together.

"Ok, Para, Dox, let's see what you've got!" Yugi smirked widely as the duel begun.

"I'll go first," Dox declared as he played a field spell. "I play Labyrinth Wall. Since we don't get field bonuses, we get field spell cards."

"Now you can't go through unless you work hard..." Para said.

"To go through the labyrinth."

Joey and Yugi gasped as a maze of walls appeared on the field. It was as if this field was _literally_ a labyrinth. How were both of them supposed to defeat the Paradox Brothers when they couldn't get to their monsters. Yugi knew that him and Joey were going to have to travel through the maze in order to attack the Paradox Brothers.

"Now for the Labyrinth Field Spell..." Dox said.

"Showing you how to play, we shall," Para added.

"Your monsters are like chess pieces..."

"In attack mode. Your monsters advance forward to the number of steps as the level of your monsters. As their steps increases..."

"That monster comes closer to our field where our monsters wait."

"But you must chose which door to open, that is your fate."

"One will lead you and your friends out."

"And the other will leave you in doubt."

"Well, how do we know which door leads where?" Joey asked demandingly. "At least give us a clue here!"

"Very well," Para agreed. "One of us will tell the truth..."

"And the other one will lie to you youths," Dox finished grimly.

"Is _that_ the truth?" Yugi asked suspiciously.

"Of course it is!" Dox replied grimly as Yugi furrowed his eyebrows.

"Now that, _that_ is settled. Just know that my door is the right door," Dox said.

"No, it is not my brother's door. It is my door that's the right door," Para convinced as Joey started sweating, trying to figure out which brother was telling the truth.

Joey started thinking and remembered a multilayer where they showed a riddle much like this one. A guy stands on the crossroad. One road goes to Honest Town and the other goes to Liar Town. The guy finds a local stranger whom he wasn't sure was from Honest Town or Liar Town. To get to Honest Town, the guy must say, _"Take me to your town!"_ If this stranger was honest, he'd take the guy to Honest Town, if he was a liar, he'd take the guy to the other town Honest Town.

Joey smirked, "you gotta answer our questions!"

"Very well," Para agreed as Dox nodded, also giving Yugi suspicion.

"If one of your doors is the right one, take us to your door!"

Immediately, Para pointed to his brother's door while Dox pointed to his own door. Joey grinned, "I DID IT! Para is the liar and Dox is telling the truth. Dox's door is the right door!"

_"I don't know,"_ Yugi said suspiciously. "I mean depending on how you look at it, I suppose it's _correct_. Though, should we take their _words_ for their facial expressions or pointing?"

"What do you mean, Yuge? I mean one is honest and the other one's a liar. They should've already have answered my question."

_"Not really,"_ Yugi disagreed with suspicion. "It's dangerous to compare our situation with the _'Honest Town'_ question from a multiplayer game." Joey raised his eyebrows with question. "For one thing, there was only _one_ villager in that game, while we're facing _two_. Our two villagers also told us_ 'one will tell the truth and the other one will lie'_ and that's also _suspicious_. If one of them is a liar, he should've claimed that they're _both_ honest. Also, there's a possibility they're both _lying_." Joey seemed very surprised by this logic. He never thought of it that way. "In other words, it's not even curtain there's even _a town_ at the end of the road at all. Perhaps that road leads off a cliff..." Yugi drew his next card. "Either way, I'll still play. I summon Beaver Warrior in attack mode!" Beaver Warrior appeared and advanced four spaces in the maze.

"MY TURN!" Para declared as he drew his next card. "I use Polymerization to fuse my Shadow Ghoul and Labyrinth Wall!" The Shadow Ghoul lurked among the walls of the maze and attacked Beaver Warrior, leaving Yugi with 1600 life points.

"Oh crud, that thing moves like a squirrel!" Yugi said.

"I'll help ya there and get my monsters on the field," Joey assured Yugi as he drew his next card. "I'll summon Axe Raider in attack mode and a card face-down. Since I can't fight what I can't see, I'll just have my monster chilling for a while away from the walls."

"Good idea."

"Then, it's my turn!" Dox declared as he drew his next card. "I'll play my Jirai Gumo Trap Card. If your monster steps into the wrong part of the labyrinth, they'll fall into a trap!" Jirai Gumo was placed as a trap card on the Spell and Trap Card Zone. "Now, I play Labyrinth Tank."

"It's my turn!" Yugi declared before drawing his card. He looked at his card before giving Joey a glance. "I summon Celtic Guardian in attack mode!" Obnoxious Celtic Guardian appeared on the field and advanced inside the labyrinth.

"It seems you've forgotten my Shadow Ghoul!" Para smirked as the Shadow Ghoul lurked quickly around the labyrinth to attack Yugi's Obnoxious Celtic Guardian. "Your Celtic Guardian is finished!"

"Not in a long run!" Joey smirked, showing his trap card Kunai With Chain as the Shadow Ghoul became wrapped in a chain and Obnoxious Celtic Guardian destroyed the Shadow Ghoul. Para's life points were now 1700. "ALRIGHT! We make a great team, huh Yuge?"

"Right," Yugi nodded with a huge smile.

"Nice going, Joey!" Tea cheered.

"Yeah, you're the man!" Tristan cheered.

"I believe it's my turn," Joey grinned as he drew his next card. "I play Flamed Swordsman, then I advance him and Axe Raider to Celtic Guardian. I'll also equip Kunai With Chain with Axe Raider, to boost his attack up. That will do, for now."

The Paradox Brothers peered at the field and saw what they had to face. It seemed that the three monsters were in a close formation. They made it their mission to break it.

"My turn!" Dox declared as he drew his next card. "My Labyrinth Tank advances toward your monsters!" The Labyrinth Tank advanced toward Joey's and Yugi's monsters. There was also the trap card for the two friends to worry about.

"I'll go!" Yugi said before drawing a card.

"Man, I wish we could just jump over those stupid walls!" Joey complained.

"We can't do that, Joey. This setting is a labyrinth with a stone ceiling. So, flying monsters won't work in this labyrinth," Yugi explained as Joey's face turned awestruck.

"B... But my Red-Eyes is a flying monster!"

"Dragons are no good in this setting. We'll have to fight with ground unit monsters."

"Damn!"

_"But there's another way,"_ Atem added as Yugi nodded.

"I play Dark Magician!" Yugi declared as Dark Magician appeared.

_"I shall help you, Yugi,"_ Dark Magician promised as Yugi nodded. Though, Atem could never hear Dark Magician, Yugi could. He had always shared a close connection with Dark Magician just like Seto did with Blue-Eyes White Dragon and Joey did with Red-Eyes Black Dragon.

"He advances into the labyrinth!" Yugi declared as Dark Magician walked and joined with the other three monsters.

Para drew his next card, noticing the number of forces the two boys grew. He declared, "I play Magical Labyrinth! This changes the walls of the labyrinth!" The walls started shifting and moving. The four monsters were separated into two's. Dark Magician and Obnoxious Celtic Guardian were seperated from Flamed Swordsman and Axe Raider. "Now you're pieces are separated from each other! What _will_ you do?"

Joey drew a card and declared, "I advance my Axe Raider!" His Axe Raider moved forward, and then...

"Trap card activated!" Dox declared as a trap door appeared and Jirai Gumo appeared and attacked Axe Raider by surprise. This monster was treated as a trap card.

"SHIT!" Joey responded as his life points stooped down to 1600.

"Hang on there, Joey!" Yugi said.

"I believe it's my turn!" Dox smirked as he drew his next card. "My Labyrinth Tank moves toward Flamed Swordsman and I end!"

"_Double_ shit!" Joey responded.

"DON'T GIVE UP, JOEY!" Tea cheered.

"Common man, don't give up!" Tristan cheered as Joey gave a nod.

"I believe it's my turn," Yugi smirked as he drew his next card. "For this one, I'll play Mystic Box with my Dark Magician!"

_"Holy shit!"_ Dox gasped as he watched Dark Magician enter inside a rectangular box with three doors from top to bottom._ They all closed._ At the same time, another box appeared where Jirai Gumo was. The brothers gasped as the box with Dark Magician had swords stabbing all over it. When it opened, instead of Dark Magician, there was Jirai Gumo all stabbed up and killed while Dark Magician appeared in the box Jirai Gumo once was.

"This card makes it to where Dark Magician can teleport and switch places with your_ itssy bitsy spider_," Yugi smirked.

"Nice one, Yuge!" Joey cheered with a huge smile.

"Now, to destroy your tank," Yugi declared as Dark Magician attacked and destroyed Labyrinth Tank, leaving Dox with 1600 life points.

"It's my turn!" Para declared as he drew his next card. He grinned deviously. "I summon Sanga of the Thunder!" A box that seemed like a present tied with rope appeared on the field, leaving Yugi cock-eyed.

_"I've got a bad feeling about this,"_ Atem thought with worry.

_'Same here,'_ Yugi agreed.

"My turn!" Joey declared while drawing his card. "Flamed Swordsman advances forward and I'll end it at that!"

"My turn again!" Dox declared as he drew his next card. "I summon Suijin!" Another box, identical to the box Para played.

"I've got a bad feeling about those boxes, Joey," Yugi thought.

"Same here," Joey agreed.

"Now, I play Dungeon Worm in attack mode!" Dox declared as the duel table began to shake.

"What the hell?" Joey responded wide-eyed before Dungeon Worm appeared and gobbled Celtic Guardian. _"HOLY F***!"_

"That's just like that worm from _Tremor_," Tristan glared.

"You watch that?" Ryan asked in surprise.

"Common, I like a good movie with that kind of action! You shoulda seen the third one! They were bitchasses!" Tristan grinned.

Yugi's life points stooped down to 1200 life points before the worm tunneled back underground. Both Yugi and Joey cringed at the sight as the Paradox Brothers chuckled deviously.

"What's amazing is that every time the worm eats, it's attack boosts up!" Dox smirked with a dark chuckle.

"Yah! I'm starting to agree with Tristan. That worm is like _Tremor_," Joey said with a cringing look. "I'd really hate to become worm food."

"My turn!" Yugi declared before drawing a card. "I'll use Magical Hats to cover up Dark Magician and Flamed Swordsman!"

"SHIT!" The Paradox Brothers responded awestruck.

"And if your worm hits Dark Magician, it goes _bye bye_," Yugi grinned childishly.

"Then I'll play Monster Tamer!" Para smirked as Yugi's face flustered. "With this, I can control my brother's worm and increase its attack points by 600."

_"Shit!"_ Atem responded.

The Dungeon Worm attacked one of the hats, but no monster was seen. Both Yugi's and Joey's monster were safe. The two boys sighed in relief before wiping the sweat droplets from their foreheads.

"My turn!" Joey declared with a slight smirk. "And I'll let Flamed Swordsman gets some fresh air!" Flamed Swordsman jumped up from one of the magical hats, leaving all this friends awestruck. "I'll also equip my Flamed Swordsman with Salamandra to boost him up a bit, than attack your mother f***er!" Flamed Swordsman attacked Dungeon Worm and burned it to a crisp, leaving Dox with 1080.

"Not bad, Joey!" Yugi cheered happily.

"Cheer all you want! It's still my turn!" Dox declared before drawing his next card. "I play Kazejin! Now all of the three guardians of thunder, water, and wind are all combined! Using Sanga of the Thunder, Suijin, and Kazejin, we're able to combine them to create _The Gate Guardian_!"

All of the three monsters combined, stacked on top of each other. It stood between the two doors of the Paradox Brothers. Joey and Yugi seemed _very awestruck_. That monster seemed very powerful and held alot of defenses.

"Now you shall die!" Dox declared with a grinning smirk.

"And destroying you shall be easy as pie," Para added.

"Well, since you guys can use teamwork combos, let's show you _ours_," Joey smirked before Yugi made his next draw.

"I will play one card face-down," Yugi declared.

"Now, Gate Guardian, ATTACK!" Para declared as the boys gasped. The Saga of the Thunder part of the monster used its powers to attack Flamed Swordsman.

_"NOOO!"_ Joey cried with sweat droplets on his face.

"TRAP! MIRROR FORCE!" Yugi smirked as he revealed his face-down card. It protected Flamed Swordsman and reflected at the Paradox Brothers' monsters.

"Gate Guardian's special ability makes a reflection, to prevent itself from your onslaught!" Para smirked.

"Too bad your Monster Tamer isn't safe," Yugi smirked as Monster Tamer was shocked by electricity, leaving Para with 900 life points.

_"You son of a bitch!"_ Para seethed through his teeth.

"_Whew_, thanks for the save, Yugi," Joey thanked as Yugi nodded. Joey smirked deeply before drew his next card. While touching the top of his deck...

_"Hey, little bro,"_ Damon's voice was heard as Joey drew the card and saw his Red-Eyes Black Dragon. Joey showed a half smile.

_'Damon, if it wasn't for you, I would've lost hope back there. I owe you alot,'_ Joey thought in his head while glancing at the card. "_PAYBACK TIME!_ FLAMED SWORDSMAN ATTACKS YOUR KAZEJIN!"

Flamed Swordsman attacked the Kazejin piece of the Gate Guardian before a stream of water gushed out, negating the attack. The Paradox Brothers giggled darkly before Dox drew his next card. The Suijin part of the Gate Guardian attacked with a stream of water that flowed throughout the _whole labyrinth_. Dark Magician was safe, but Flamed Swordsman was in _huge trouble_.

"OH _SHIIIIIIT_!" Joey responded as his life points stooped down to 1300. "Great! Do I have to walk around the Labyrinth again?"

"No, your Flamed Swordsman's death was not in vain," Yugi promised after drawing his next card. "I summon out Summoned Skull!"

"It can't attack Gate Guardian!" Para grinned.

"Unless you go through the labyrinth again," Dox agreed.

"I guess you don't know chemistry, do you?" Yugi smirked before the Paradox Brothers noticed and gasped at the flooded labyrinth covered with water. "I'll take that as a _'yes.'_ SUMMONED SKULL, DO YOUR STUFF!" Summoned Skull attacked the water and it followed up the water right for Suijin.

"I'll blow it away with Kazejin's wind power!" Dox declared grimly before the lightning hit Suijin, leaving him dumbfounded. "WHAT! BUT HOW?"

"Remember when your attack passed the hats?" Yugi asked with a slight smirk, before revealing Spellbinding Circle. "This was under one of the Magical Hats. In other words, your Gate Guardian activated my trap card." Spellbinding Circle caught the Gate Guardian as Suijin was destroyed completely, leaving Dox with 780 life points.

"_ALRIGHT!_ We'll tumble that thing down like a tower of blocks!" Joey smirked.

"My turn!" Para declared as he showed De-Spell. "I'll de-spell your Spellbinding Circle! Your turn!"

"Then, here it goes!" Joey smirked as he drew his next card and caught Yugi's glance.

_"I think he wants you to play me,"_ Damon said as Joey nodded unsurely, since Yugi did declare that dragons weren't made for this sort of setting.

"I'll summon out good ol' Red-Eyes!" Joey declared as Red-Eyes Black Dragon appeared on the field. Its head turned toward the blond.

_"I'll fight for you and his majesty,"_ Damon promised before Red-Eyes Black Dragon gave a wink.

_'_Majesty?_ I'll have to ask Yugi about that later,'_ Joey thought in awestruck._ Did Damon know about Yugi?_

"I'll play Polymerization to combine Summoned Skull with Red-Eyes to create Black Skull Dragon!" Yugi declared as Red-Eyes Black Dragon and Skull Dragon morphed together and Black Skull Dragon appeared bold and brave.

"_HA!_ NOT BAD DAMON!" Joey grinned, his friends turning cock-eyed, but brushed it off.

Yugi blinked at that name. Atem appeared cock-eyed asking, _"what is it?"_

_'That name, _Damon_. I know I heard it from somewhere, but I don't know where,'_ Yugi confessed as Atem rose two eyebrows. _'I think it might be a part of a memory I lost.'_

_"Strange,"_ Atem responded with raised eyebrows. _"You think you might've known Red-Eyes?"_

_'Maybe,'_ Yugi shrugged before continuing the game. He decided to worry about his lost memories later.

Dox laughed mockingly and smirked, "YOU FOOLS! HAVE YOU FORGOTTEN? THIS LABYRINTH CAN ONLY BE CROSSED BY _GROUND UNITS_, NOT _FLYING CREATURES_!"

_"Didn't Yugi say something about that?"_ Damon asked as Joey looked at Yugi with raised eyebrows. He seemed to hold sure confidence. _"I think he knew what he was doing, Joseph. Just keep fighting."_

"I'm done," Joey smirked, trusting Yugi.

"Common guys! You can do it!" Tea cheered.

"Yeah, it's the only way to get out of this mother f***ing place!" Ryan glared with folded arms.

_"Brother!"_ Ryou cried, shaking terrified. _"He's back! I can feel it!"_

_'What the hell... _oh shit_, you don't mean?'_ Ryan replied wide-eyed.

_"M-hm,"_ Ryou nodded, still trembling. _"He was already awake, but... he was trying to find a perfect time for you to put on the ring. With us in danger, he's using this opportunity. Don't put on the ring!"_

_'Of course not!'_

_"Even if we're trapped here forever, DON'T!"_

_'Wait, why aren't you possessed if he's awake?'_

_"He only possesses me when you're wearing the ring, I think,"_ Ryou thought while staring at the ground. _"I think when a host has the ring on, he... he can take over my soul room _easier_. When I'm just a spirit, he can't go into my soul room, since I am not in your body."_

_'So I'm protecting _you_ as well, by not putting on the ring.'_

Dox drew his next card and declared, "I'll play my magic card Ryoku!"

"HOLY SHIT!" Joey responded as he watched his and Yugi's life points cut in half. Joey now had 650 life points while Yugi had 600. Half of their life points were transferred to the two remaining pieces of the Gate Guardian.

"My turn!" Yugi declared as he drew his next card. He smirked widely before saying, "My Dark Magician exits from the labyrinth!" Dark Magician flew out of the hat and started walking seven spaces toward the Gate Guardian. The Paradox Brothers laughed in mockery, since the Dark Magician had to go passed the Gate Guardian. "And before I end my turn, I'll activate Monster Reborn!"

"Bring on any monster you like," Para smirked.

"We will still be able to strike," Dox finished.

"GEEZE GUYS! WILL YOU STOP THE _RHYMING_ ALREADY?" Joey yelled. "I mean seriously, what is this, _Poetry Class_?"

"Gate Guardian, attack Dark Magician!" Para declared as Gate Guardian, but not before Suijin, the monster Yugi summoned using Monster Reborn, blocked it. He gasped as Yugi giggled before Joey drew his next card.

"I'm gonna just go and use Copy Cat!" Joey smirked as the twins gasped. "I'll be copying your card Ryoku! Thought I'd give you a taste of your own medicine!" The Paradox Brothers' life points were halved. Para had 450 life points while Dox had 390. "Now, I'll use them on Black Skull Dragon!" Black Skull Dragon's attack points were now 4040.

_"Nice going, little bro,"_ Damon cheered.

"Wait, you can still talk to me in there?" Joey asked cock-eyed.

_"Just because I'm in a fused monster, doesn't mean I can't talk to my little bro."_

"Uh Joey, _are_ you okay?" Tristan asked looking at his friend as if he was drunk. "You're talking to a holographic monster."

"Yah, I'm fine," Joey grinned nervously while rubbing the back of his head. "Just... you know... _just talkin_..."

_"Riiiiiight,"_ Tea said grimly.

"My turn!" Dox declared as he drew his next card. "Kazejin destroys Suijin!" Kazejin attacked and destroyed Suijin, who was summoned by Yugi's monster reborn. The brothers smirked widely, seeing that Yugi and Joey were close to defeat.

Yugi giggled as the brothers' eyes widened. He revealed his magic card called Shift and declared, "I use Shift. There was a reason I had Dark Magician cross the Labyrinth." The Paradox Brothers gasped with wide eyes. "This card lets me switch my Dark Magician and Black Skull Dragon." Automatically, Dark Magician and Black Skull Dragon disappeared and appeared in the other's position. Black Skull Dragon was right in front of Gate Guardian.

"Ready for this?" Yugi asked with a game face.

"Ready!" Joey smirked.

_"BLACK SKULL DRAGON, ATTACK!"_ Yugi and Joey shouted together as Black Skull Dragon attacked Gate Guardian and the Paradox Brothers' life points went down to 0.

"YEAH! GO DAMON!" Joey cheered while jumping in the air.

"Uh Joey... who's _Damon_?" Tea asked, wondering if Joey really had been drinking.

"Well _uhhhh_," Joey said, trying to come up with a logical answer.

"I think that's the true name of Red-Eyes Black Dragon," Yugi said, then showing a bright smile. "Dark Magician's real name is _Mahad_. Cool huh?"

"Ok, aside from the weirdness that goes around here, YOU GUYS WON!" Tristan grinned as the group gave a hug in excitement.

"Ten star chips!" Yugi grinned happily.

"You may have won this game," Para smirked.

"But your problem is still the same," Dox said.

"You must choose which door is right."

"And which door is not right."

"We haven't forgotten," Yugi said with a slight smirk. "There are two doors. One is guarded by Para, and the other by Dox. We only get to open the door to the person we beat and we beat_ both of you._ _Both_ doors should be open."

"No, only _one_ door will open!" The Paradox Brothers disagreed.

_"Man, how are they doing that?"_ Atem wondered with his arms crossed.

"HEY! THAT'S NOT FAIR!" Joey shouted.

"Since when was this tournament actually _fair_?" Ryan asked sarcastically with folded arms.

"You must choose a door," Dox declared.

"Which one will you go for," Para smirked.

"I'll give you a hint: my door is the one."

"No, my door is the one."

"UGH! WOULD YOU STOP THAT CRAP ALREADY!" Joey yelled, his head hurting. "I'm getting a headache."

_"This seems difficult. Joey asked them which door was the right door, but they never said the answer, just showed it. It could be a trick to deceive us,"_ Atem thought with folded arms.

_'I was thinking that too. I also think _their words_ are also there to deceive us,'_ Yugi said as Atem nodded.

_"They also seem _sure_ that we will _never_ find an exit, even though it's a fifty-fifty chance,"_ Atem added before rubbing his chin. _"How can they be so _confident_?"_

_'There are four possible answers: Para's door is the right one, Dox's door is the right one, both doors are right, or they're both wrong and there's a third door leading somewhere else,'_ Yugi reviewed over the possible answers. He bit his bottom lip.

"It seems your suspicious that there's a _third_ door," Dox smirked.

"Very well, search around if there's a _third door_," Para declared as everyone searched besides Yugi and Ryan.

"_You_ aren't going to look?"

"I'm good right here," Yugi said with confidence.

"I'm good here too," Ryan smirked as Yugi looked over to his friend. It seemed the white-haired teen was getting the whole _deceptive picture_.

"We couldn't find an exit _anywhere_," Tristan said without hope after searching for five minutes. Ryan smirked as a dark chuckle escaped his nose. Him and Yugi gave glances as if they were using some _mind communication._

"Now, choose a door!" The Paradox Brothers said.

_"I think Yugi's got it!"_ Ryou said happily to his brother as Ryan gave him a smirk.

Yugi dug in his pocket and retrieved two coins. One had Para's name and the other one had Dox's name. The Paradox Brothers laughed in mockery. Yugi smirked widely while Ryan was just sitting there with his arms loosely crossed.

"You're going to decide your fate in a coin toss?" Dox mocked.

_"Watch!"_ Yugi said, placing two coins on the dueling table. "I have two coins, left and right." He covered them with two fingers. "The coin I will leave in my hand, will be the door I choose._ You ready?_"

"Make your move!" The Paradox Brothers said together.

Yugi removed his left two fingers to show Dox's name. Ryan shouted, "_Ahh,_ the Dox coin! That means the coin in your other hand must be Para!"

"_IDIOT!_ DOX WAS THE RIGHT DOOR!" Ryan shouted, as the Paradox Brothers laughed maniacally.

"It's too late! You already chose the Para door!" Dox declared.

"It's too late to change from the Para door," Para said.

"You should have listened to your white-haired friend."

"But you haven't, and now your journey is at its end."

"The correct answer is..."

"THE DOX DOOR!" The Paradox Brothers answered together as everyone gasped. Everyone seemed anxiously _defeated_, except for Yugi and Ryan, who just narrowed their eyes.

"YOU CHOSE WRONG AND NOW YOU MUST STAY HERE _FOREVER_!" Dox declared with a maniacal laugh.

_"I knew it,"_ Yugi and Ryan replied together as everyone stared a blank-eye at Yugi and Ryan.

"I knew it from the _smudginess_ on your faces that I wouldn't be able to _choose correctly_," Yugi explained with a childish smirk and folded arms. "Because there is _no right answer._ If I said Para, the correct answer would be Dox and vise versa."

"In other words, they would decide which door was correct after knowing which door their opponent would choose," Ryan finished before letting out a chuckle. "I must say, maybe we both really do _think alike_."

"That doesn't matter, you still couldn't choose correctly," Dox smirked._ "We win!"_

"Not really," Ryan disagreed while rolling his eyes as Yugi removed his other fingers, which also showed _Dox_.

"I chose the Dox coin," Yugi said as the brothers gasped in horror. He showed the coin he covered with his left hand. "The coin I covered with my right hand had Dox written on both sides, but the first coin I revealed had Para on the other." Yugi put the coins down and asked mockingly, _"did I mention that my left hand doesn't play fair?"_

The Paradox Brothers were shocked beyond all means that they lost. Yugi and his friends quickly left the room to the outside of cave walls. After leaving, Ryan and Yugi gawked up in laughter. They laughed so hard, they were choking from lack of oxygen.

"You are one _sneaky_ mother f***ing bitch!" Ryan complimented.

"I know huh?" Yugi agreed.

"Ok, it's time for you boys to explain," Tea smirked while crossing her arms.

"Yeah, how'd you do that?" Hanaski asked anxiously.

"I found out with their smudgy expressions and their play," Yugi replied.

"Same can go here," Ryan smirked with folded arms. "In fact I used to do that kind of crap in England before meeting Ryou. I worked at a local casino and would play one of those gambling _'hide the coin'_ games. You take three or four cups and cover the coin with them. Then, you shuffle them. While doing this, you slide the cup with the coin far enough where it hits your lap, so the contestant will make a wrong guess."

"You f***ing cheat!" Joey glared as Ryan chuckled with a sneaky smirk.

"I didn't know that Ryan _knew_ about the trick until he sat still while the rest of you guys looked for _a third door_. I needed him to distract the Paradox Brothers, so they wouldn't see through my trick," Yugi said.

"So, how did you know Yugi was playing that trick?" Hanaski asked.

"When he showed the damn coins. If he wasn't doing a f***ing trick, than he would've been guessing with words, _not coins_," Ryan replied while rolling his eyes.

"One question, _when did you realize gambling was a waste of your time?_" Joey asked smirkingly before being punched by Tristan. "_OW!_ GEEZ TRISTAN!"

"It was Ryou," Ryan replied with a soft smile. "I was alone until he came into my life. Atem says that Yugi is the same way."

"Now that I think about it, since Yugi came around, Atem's been less of an ass," Tea smirked.

"Huh, I guess Atem has _changed_. Who knew a spirit inhabiting a body could change a person?" Tristan asked rhetorically as Yugi blushed.

"He's changed me as well," Yugi admitted while looking at the ground. "He's shown me true courage, even at ten years old."

_"Wow,"_ Hanaski responded.

"Hey, I think there's light up there!" Tristan shouted, pointing to the way out of the tunnel. Everyone excitedly ran out of the cave, Yugi and Joey with ten star chips.


	14. Advance and Retreat

**Hey guys! My computer was being a pain and deleted my work, so I had to do this whole dang thing all over. Luckily, it's one of my favorites, so it'll be enjoyable to write, especially since it's a duel between Atem and Seto. Now, this duel is not gonna be like the manga or the anime. You're gonna find out real quick! There is also a littlekuriboh joke, I just had to put on there lol. This duel is also using the Prototype duel disk in expert mode, so the rules are weird. Review please!**

Pegasus was smiling in amusement after watching Yugi and Joey tag-team duel with the Paradox Brothers. Not only did they escape the labyrinth, like Pegasus had planned, but Yugi had figured out the _trick_ behind the two doors. Who would've thought Yugi could be such a conman? Now him and Joey had gathered 10 star chips and were headed toward Pegasus' castle.

There was still Seto to worry about. Apparently he stuck around with the group to help out Atem from the gunshot wound until _last night_. Seto was more than likely on his way toward the castle. Unfortunately, Pegasus never received any details on Seto's whereabouts from last night, except that he was probably at the castle by now. There was also _a big commotion_ last night.

Bandit Keith was only a _slight_ problem. For one, he came to the tournament _illegally_ and earned his star chips by stealing them from three likely boys. Pegasus would've normally _disqualified him_ by now, but he wasn't the first one to enter _illegally_. Joey Wheeler also entered, seeing that he never signed up or paid for the trip in the first place. He was just given two star chips and earned his way from there with Weevil's duel glove, also given to Joey. Pegasus found it amusing for Bandit Keith to enter into the final four, especially since he had _a score to settle. _

While sipping his wine, Pegasus heard running footsteps by three of his employers. He turned his chair and faced them with a questionable look.

_"Mr. Pegasus... it's Mr. Kaiba, he... has one of your employers hostage,"_ one of the employers said while panting.

"Oh my. I suppose that should be _expected_. Tell me, how did Kaiba-boy get a hold of one of my employers?" Pegasus asked curiously, seemingly amused.

"He came by last night, sir," the second employer replied.

"He asked to enter into the castle to see you, but you were asleep. He knocked one of our guards down and held a gun to his head. Mr. Kaiba's in the guest room, right now, with the hostage," the first employer explained.

"Very well, I'll contact him right away," Pegasus agreed with a dark chuckle.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, in the guest room, Seto was sitting on a comfy chair, having one of Pegasus' guards' head stuck inside the brief case, and using it as a footstool. Seto was waiting for Pegasus to arrive, since one of his workers was <em>held hostage.<em> Seto had to show a smirk at the thought, the last time he held a hostage was Death-T. He had Solomon Moto as his hostage, since he wasn't very happy about what Seto was _planning_ for the tournament. The funny thing was, _originally_, Death-T was created for him and Atem to have a more _challenging_ _game_, then they grew too close.

The guard was struggling with his head inside the briefcase and sweat pouring down his face. It was a good thing that Seto removed his cards before sticking the guy's head in there. Now, if there was blood to be spilled, Seto didn't have to ruin his cards. A screen popped up beside Seto, which showed a picture of Pegasus.

"Kaiba-boy, you disappoint me, holding one of my best employers hostage," Pegasus said mockingly.

"Enough of your bullshit, Pegasus! I demand you return Mokuba _immediately_ or you'll have one less employer working for you," Seto threatened as Pegasus chuckled in amusement.

"I'm afraid I can't do that, Kaiba-boy," Pegasus shrugged with his usual smile. "You see, the key is still in his large intestine."

"_ENOUGH!_ YOU'RE NOT TAKING CONTROL OF MY COMPANY AND YOU'RE _CURTAINLY_ NOT PLUNGING THAT DAMN KEY OUT OF HIS ASS!"

"I'm afraid you won't have much of a choice, Kaiba-boy. Your company's close to going out of business, your employers have turned against you, and your brother's in _a bit of a pickle_. I can put your company out of bankruptcy and I can have my virtual hologram dueling system."

"After kidnapping, forcefully buying my company, let alone Atem entering this tournament?"

"Hm, I can see your frustration, but I _need_ that holographic simulator for something _extremely_ important, which is confiscated information."

"You're not getting my company and you _will_ return Mokuba!" Seto threatened, seething through his teeth.

"I suppose we can't agree then. Tell you what, how about a duel? If you win, I will bring back Mokuba-boy and cancel the tournament._ Problem solved_," Pegasus bargained with a huge smile.

"And if _you_ win?"

"Then nothing changes. Well, almost _nothing_," Pegasus smirked as he showed a duel monster card. Seto raised his eyebrows, then turned pale when he saw the picture on the other side. _It was Mokuba! _"That's what happens to _anyone_ who loses a shadow game against me. Mokuba-boy was trying to _save_ Atem-boy. Cute, isn't it?"

"YOU SON OF A BITCH! YOU SEALED MY BROTHER'S SOUL IN YOUR _DAMN CARD_?" Seto yelled in anger.

"The same will go for you, if you lose and, you know, I _never_ lose," Pegasus smirked as Seto glared deeply. "There's also _one more thing _you must do before you duel me." Seto kept his deepened glare. "You must duel and defeat Atem in a duel."

Seto raised his eyebrows, before laughing mockingly, saying, "_That's it?_ I was thinking of defeating him _after_ dealing with you and your assholes, but if you want me to duel him that bad..."

"Ah, but you also must _win_ as well. If you don't, well... I just might _save_ this blank card for my duel against _the winner_ of this tournament," Pegasus smirked as Seto showed a glare.

"I don't f***ing care what you _use_ that card for, because I _will_ defeat you!"

"I clearly doubt it, Kaiba-boy. After all, you do _share his name_ on your left hand," Pegasus pointed out as Seto clasped over his left hand, covering Atem's name. "I'm guessing that was an effect from a mind crush. I've heard those can be very _effective_, especially if the pieces aren't _placed together_. Those names reflect the pieces to _your heart_, Kaiba-boy. It's just too bad you never gained that piece from Atem-boy."

"ENOUGH! I'LL DUEL ATEM, BEAT HIM, THEN YOU'LL SEE ME IN YOUR F***ING CASTLE KICKING YOU F***ING ASS FOR MESSING WITH MOKUBA AND KIABA CORPERATION!" Seto promised in anger.

"Don't forget to bring 10 star chips," Pegasus reminded as Seto showed a handful of ten star chips.

"Got 'em while your pesky _Player Killers_ tried for force me in a duel. He's probably on the side of a cliff by now," Seto smirked.

"SPLENDID! At least my employers did _some_ good, right?"

"Kiss my ass, Pegasus," Seto replied before releasing his foot from the guard as soon as the TV turned blank.

_"Th... Thank you, thank you,"_ the guard thanked happily.

"Just get out!" Seto shouted as the guard ran out of the room.

Seto packed all his duel monster cards back into his brief case. After that, he walked out of the guest room and right outside the castle. He stared at his left hand that showed Atem's name written.

"_Pieces to my heart_, bullshit!" Seto muttered before looking down the stairs below the staircase to the castle.

Seto knew he had to stop Pegasus from taking control of Kaiba Corp. and the only way was to duel him _and win_, despite him having the ability to _read peoples' minds_. Hopefully, with this technology of the prototype duel disk, Seto _just might_ be able to prevent Pegasus from reading _his_ mind. Not only was it made to where the hand cards were to be placed inside the duel disk, but they appeared in _holograms,_ if one was given the option to. There was also a possibility that the _distance_ would be away from Pegasus' _mind-reading rang_. This was _perfect_ for preventing Pegasus' mind reading abilities. It was also the only way to save the company from Pegasus' control.

Seto remembered when he first gained control of Kaiba Corp. from Gozoburro Kaiba. Seto remembered the abuse and torture he had to put up with, _because_ of Gozoburro. He was very cruel, and used the same tactics on Mokuba. The boys were molested and tortured till their breaking point. Seto never regretted _taking control_ of Kaiba Corp. He saved himself and Mokuba from the cruelties of their step father. That was how they both learned to run a company. That was how Seto learned to never trust _anyone_, not even make friends. They would only be in the way of making the company successful. This was something not even _Atem_ would understand.

Atem wasn't _trained_ to run a company. He went through torture, but ones that were done by making wrong choices. The only abuse that _wasn't_ his choice, was made from Joey's drunkard father. Atem once told Seto, while they were playing at the Game Shop, of the torture he went through with Joey's drunkard father. The times he was raped and beaten, along with Joey. Their _innocents_ were gone from there. Seto thought it was funny how Atem was _open_ enough to tell something so _personal_. Then again, he also told Atem a few personal stuff he never even told _his employers._

Seto then noticed he was _smiling_ while thinking this. How long has it been since the last time he _smiled_? Seto swore he could kill puppies with his smile. He never really _truly_ smiled until he met Atem. He was the only one who could make Seto more happy than he's ever been, every time they played. He was hoping that when dueling and beating Atem, maybe he could feel that _happiness_ again. Then, Seto remembered that this _happiness_ he felt was the very thing he caught as a _weakness_, a soft spot he found for Atem. He wondered if it was the reason Atem called them _friends_.

At the bottom of the steps, Seto caught a group of friends running up the staircase. They froze in place when they saw Seto on the very top. Atem ran from the group and stood in front of Seto.

_"Seto,"_ Atem muttered.

"What the hell do you want, Rich Boy?" Joey asked demandingly. "Let us through?"

"Surprised someone like _you_ could get _this far_, Wheeler," Seto mocked as Joey's head boiled.

"WHY I OUGHTA..."

"Joey, calm down," Atem warned as Hanaski and Tristan held Joey back. Atem turned his head to face his friend. "Did you see Pegasus?"

"Yes, he says the only way I can save my brother is to defeat him in a duel, but to do that, I have to duel _and defeat_ you," Seto explained as Atem gave a smirk.

"So, one of us has to go against Pegasus. Very well, _I accept_," Atem accepted.

"NO WAY, ATEM! You've already got ten star chips! You can't just _risk them_!" Joey glared.

"It's fine, Joey. Both Seto and I have a plan to stop Pegasus and rescue Mokuba. One of us has to go first and maybe _dueling_ will settle that," Atem said with a gaming smirk.

"Very well," Seto smirked before turning to the right. "Follow me."

Everyone followed Seto to the right porch of the castle. Him and Atem stood across from each other, each on the edge of the castle where the forest was shown below. Seto threw Atem a duel disk prototype he made to use against Pegasus. Atem placed the glove part of the duel disk into his left hand.

"You already know how it works. I'll be playing this in expert mode for our duel," Seto explained as Atem smirked widely. They both took their disk and placed their monster card inside the disk part of the Duel Disk before throwing it. Atem played Curse of Dragon while Seto played Ryu-Kishin Powered. Automatically, holographic cards appeared in front of Atem and Seto, including their monsters. Atem gasped at this. "I think you discovered my _other features_ to this new technology. I'll go first, so my Ryu-Kishin attacks that card!" Ryu-Kishin beamed at one of Atem's cards, which was Fernal Imp. Atem's life points stooped to 1700. Atem gasped at this. "In this mode, you can have your monsters attack your opponent's cards as if they were monsters in attack mode. Of course, that also has a _higher_ risk of dying, but my instincts told me you had a weak monster."

"Then I believe it's my turn," Atem smirked. He was getting pumped up in his battle. "My Curse of Dragon attacks your Ryu-Kishin!" Curse of Dragon blasted huge fireballs at Ryu-Kishin, leaving Seto with 1600 life points. His monster card flicked off the duel disk before Seto drew a new card and reeled his duel disk to his hand.

"Now, I summon Swordstalker!" Seto declared as he threw the duel disk and Swordstalker appeared. "I use Swordstalker's special ability to absorb the attack points from his fallen comrades!"

"SHIT!" Joey responded as Swordstalker's attack points changed to 2400 and attacked Curse of Dragon.

"Not so fast!" Atem smirked as his holographic cards turned and showed the card Shift. "I use Shift to replace Curse of Dragon with a stronger monster, Dark Magician!" Curse of Dragon disappeared and Dark Magician appeared in its place. "Now, he can attack your Swordstalker!" Dark Magician attacked Swordstalker and it was destroyed, leaving Seto with 1500 life points.

Seto showed a smirking smile and said, "You know, I almost forgot how _fun_ it is playing against you."

"Same here," Atem agreed as Seto drew a new card.

Seto reeled in his duel disk and declared, "I summon La Jinn the Genie of the Lamp in defense mode! _Your turn!_"

Atem drew a new card and declared, "Dark Magician, attack the Genie!"

"TRAP! ANCIENT LAMP!" Seto said, activating the trap card from his holographic cards. Ancient Lamp hid La Jinn the Genie of the Lamp as Dark Magician's attack hit the lamp and backfired at one of Atem's cards. "This hides my Genie and repels your attacks back at you!" Atem's life points were now 1200.

"Atem, are you okay?" Joey asked worriedly as Atem lifted his head up and laughed like a little kid.

"_Okay?_ I feel GREAT! I'm having a _blast_!" Atem replied happily.

"Now, I can see why Atem likes Seto so much," Ryan smirked as everyone eyed their white-haired friend.

"What do you mean?" Hanaski asked.

"_Isn't it obvious?_ Seto is Atem's _match_ at his level of dueling, like Mai is with Joey. A win can go for either of them. You can say that neither of them are _stronger_ than the other. Seto, to Atem, is a real _challenging_ player. The type that makes him want to play harder than he's ever played before. Both of them are pushing themselves to their limits, making each of them _stronger_ the more they play," Ryan explained as everyone raised their eyebrows at the two rivals.

"My Genie returns from the lamp and since it's no match for your Dark Magician, I'll attack one of your cards!" Seto declared as La Jinn the Genie of the Lamp attacked Atem's Swords of Revealing Light. "Then, I shuffle my Ancient Lamp into my cards!" Ancient Lamp's holographic card turned around to face Seto before shuffling into the cards that faced him. "Pick a card, any card."

"Damn, how is Atem gonna beat that combo?" Tristan asked while rubbing his chin.

"He'll figure out _something_," Hanaski said with furrowed eyebrows.

"My turn!" Atem declared before drawing his next two cards. "It's time I finished that _combo_ by playing my spell card, Eye of Truth!" Atem's holographic card turned as Seto gasped while watching his cards turning to face his opponent. Atem gasped as soon as he saw Seto's Blue-Eyes White Dragon. _"SHIT!"_

"Blue-Eyes? Holy f***!" Joey responded.

"But why hasn't that ass played that mother f***er yet?" Ryan wondered with furrowed eyebrows.

"He's up to _something_, I just know it. That's his _soul card_!" Joey said while furrowing his eyebrows.

"I play Mystic Box!" Atem declared as one box appeared with Ancient Lamp and another with Dark Magician. The box that held Dark Magician stabbed swords all around it and opened to reveal Ancient Lamp all skewered. The other box, that originally had Ancient Lamp, revealed Dark Magician. "Now, your Ancient Lamp is history!" Dark Magician smirked at Seto before sticking its tongue at him. The CEO President shook his fists in frustration.

_"I think he knows you,"_ a mysterious voice of a young woman said. Seto rose two eyebrows wondering how Dark Magician would know him besides him being Atem's soul card.

"Dark Magician, do your stuff!" Atem smirked as Dark Magician waved his wand and destroyed La Jinn the Genie of the Lamp, leaving Seto with 800 life points. "I'll put your life points to 0 before you start fusing three Blue-Eyes!"

"We'll see. Don't underestimate me, Atem. I may've been _out of it_ in Death-T, but not_ this duel_. I am perfectly stabled," Seto smirked before reeling his duel disk into his hand and drawing. He placed a card on the disk before throwing it back. "I SUMMON SAGGI THE DARK CLOWN IN DEFENSE MODE!"

Saggie appeared in its defensive position. For some reason, Atem felt there was something _wrong_ about this picture, even Yugi could feel it. Atem drew his next two cards. They were a good draw and he showed it with a smirk up his lips.

"I summon Gaia the Fierce Knight!" Atem declared as Gaia the Fierce Knight appeared boldly on a horse. "GAIA, DESTROY THAT CLOWN!" Gaia the Fierce Knight galloped along and destroyed Saggi the Dark Clown. As soon as it was destroyed, little pixels of mist flew into Atem's deck, leaving Atem a gasp.

_"GOT CHA!"_ Seto smirked as Atem watched Gaia the Fierce Knight disappear, including Dark Magician. "By destroying Saggi, you activated my Crush Card. This makes it to where all your monsters with attack points of 1500 or higher are _destroyed_."

"SHIT!" Atem responded as Seto laughed maniacally.

"NOW YOUR DECK IS _COMPLETELY_ DESTROYED!" Seto smirked devilishly.

"DAMN! HOW IS ATEM SUPPOSED TO FIGHT WITH_ LOW LEVEL _MONSTERS?" Tristan asked in frustration.

"He'll think of something," Joey promised with folded arms. He cupped his mouth. "COM'N ATEM, BEAT THIS CHUM!"

"I will!" Atem promised before drawing two more cards. One of his monsters was Summoned Skull, which he automatically sent to the graveyard. "I play Silver Fang in defense mode!"

"It's useless, Atem! You can't defeat me with _low level _monsters!" Seto smirked as he drew his next two cards and reeled in the duel disk. A huge smirk appeared on his lips. "I summon Battle Ox! Battle Ox, destroy Silver Fang!" Battle Ox charged up to Silver Fang and sliced it in half before it disappeared from the field.

Atem peered at his hand in front of him. Non of them were the cards he _needed_ to take on Battle Ox, let alone Blue-Eyes White Dragon. There had to be a way to beat Blue-Eyes White Dragon, especially if Seto was planning on fusing his three monsters together. Atem wasn't planning on giving up _that_ easy. He drew his next two cards and came up with a strategy.

"I place Griffor in attack mode!" Atem declared as Seto raised two eyebrows at the monster. "I also equip my monster with Horn of the Unicorn to give my monster a little boost." Griffor's attack points were now 1900. "Griffor, attack Battle Ox!" Griffor shot fireballs and destroyed Battle Ox, leaving Seto with 600 life points left.

"Way da go, Atem!" Joey cheered as Seto chuckled darkly.

"So, you defeated my Battle Ox. I almost wanna _thank you_ for it," Seto smirked as Joey's head boiled.

"UGH! DOES THIS ASS _EVER_ SHUT UP?" Joey complained.

"Before I draw, I'll play this spell card Gift of the Mystical Elf, which gives me some life points that I just lost," Seto smirked as his life points raised to 900. He drew two new cards and his smirk widened, then turned into a laughter. "Now! It's time for you to face _defeat_!" He reeled his duel disk and placed a Blue-Eyes White Dragons before throwing the disk back. "I SUMMON FORTH BLUE-EYES WHITE DRAGON!" Blue-Eyes White Dragon emerged before shooting lightning balls at Atem's Griffor and leaving Atem with 100 life points.

"I'll place Giant Soldier of Stone in defense mode," Atem declared with narrowed eyes.

"It's time I showed you the fate of defeat!" Seto smirked as he showed his cards Polymerization and two Blue-Eyes White Dragon. Atem gasped as the three Blue-Eyes White Dragons merged together and created a huge white dragon with three heads. "BEHOLD, MY BLUE-EYES _ULTIMATE_ DRAGON!" Everyone awed in amazement at the dragon. Seto laughed maniacally in excitement. "What do you think? Isn't she beautiful? My _ultimate_ dragon, my Kisara."

"What, do you have a dragon fetish?" Atem asked in a teasing matter as Seto glared in annoyance.

"NO! I swear you're so annoying!"

"Oops, did I touch a nerve? Maybe you should run home and cry to mommy. Oh, that's right, you don't have one," Atem smirked while pointing at Seto as his head started boiling.

"I swear, if you act like a pestilent child, I'll..."

"LOOK AT ME, I'M SETO KAIBA! I HAVE A DRAGON FETISH AND CAN'T HANDLE HAVING FRIENDS BECAUSE I'M SUCH A BITCH! SCREW THE RULES, I JUST F***ED A DRAGON!"

"THAT'S IT, MOTO! YOU'RE F***ING DEAD!" Seto yelled angrily. He turned his head toward his Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon. "ATTACK HIS CARD!" Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon burst lightning balls at one of Atem's cards, which luckily was a spell card. "A stupid spell card. Aw well, it doesn't matter. I won't lose."

"Com'n Atem! Hang on there!" Tea cheered as the smoke from the blast disappeared. Atem looked up with a huge smirk.

"He's still goin'!" Hanaski said excitedly.

"Of course! When I duel Seto, I always want him to get at it at his _ultimate_ strength!" Atem smirked excitedly.

"Same here! Let's see which one of us will survive this duel!" Seto said with energy in both duelists' blood.

Atem drew his next two cards and declared, "I'll add two more cards and end my turn!"

"Then I'll destroy your stone man!" Seto smirked as Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon blasted lightning balls at Giant Soldier of Stone and it blew to dust. Atem as Seto kept laughing. "There's no card in your deck that can defeat my ultimate Blue-Eyes!" Yet, Atem kept his smirking face. He wasn't willing to give up and in reality, he was having a _blast_ of his life. Seto could feel the strong energy inside Atem as he drew his next card.

Atem peered at his card and a smirk appeared on his face. He giggled, "Seto, I just drew the _ultimate_ card that will not only help take down your Blue-Eyes, but also be your _worst_ nightmare. Also, I'm going to enjoy this _sooooo_ much." Atem reeled his duel disk in and put the monster card in the slot before throwing it on the field. A small fur ball little monster appeared on the field. "I PLAY KURIBOH IN ATTACK MODE!"

_"WHAT THE F***?"_ Joey responded as Atem showed a wide smirk.

"WHAT THE HELL, ATEM? IS THIS SOME KIND OF A JOKE?" Seto asked infuriated as Atem laughed mockingly.

"What if I told you that this monster could beat your Blue-Eyes?" Atem asked smirkingly. "Though, let me warn ya, _size_ isn't everything and neither is this monster. Yugi chose it for my deck, which he found in the garbage. Though, many people underestimate its powers. I hope you're not the first one."

"But that puny thing has 300 attack points!"

"_So?_ Here, how about this to show ya what I mean?" Atem smirked as he revealed his spell card Multiply. "Multiply duplicates monsters with 500 points or less." Kuriboh split into two, then four, then eight, then sixteen, then many more until there was a huge wall of Kuribohs. Everyone was turning bug-eyed, even Seto. "Even though it has a low attack strength, it has a _special power_ that can overwhelm strong monsters like yours."

"NONSENSE!" Seto yelled. "BLUE-EYES, ATTACK THOSE PATHETIC MONSTERS!" Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon shot a huge blast at the wall of Kuribohs as Atem kept his devilish smirk. The Kuribohs kept multiplying and his life points weren't touched. Seto's eyes widened. "WHAT THE HELL?"

"They explode at touch. _Like mines._ I tried to warn ya, but your pride got in the way," Atem shrugged casually as Seto shook his fists.

"YOU F***ING SON OF A BITCH!" Seto snapped as Atem stuck his tongue out and shot raspberries. "You mother f***er!"

_"Your Blue-Eyes can't destroy me! It's beaten by a monster! That's a level wa-on!"_ Atem sang with the _"Nannie, Nannie, Boo"_ tune. All of his friends gawked up laughing.

"Oh f***! This must be f***ing humiliating, even for _you,_ Kaiba," Ryan mocked in laughter.

"THAT'S _ENOUGH_!" Seto yelled in humiliation and frustration. "This is what I hate about you, Atem! That smirking smile and acting like some _immature_ freak!"

"You're only saying that, because I just f***ed you up," Atem smirked before it grew wider. "Now, to f*** your dragon up." Seto gasped as three cards showed up on Atem's holographic cards. They were Living Arrow, Polymerization, and Mammoth Graveyard. "Since you like fusing monsters, I decided to give you a taste of your own medicine. I'm fusing Mammoth Graveyard with the Living Arrow card using Polymerization. With that, I can also stick Mammoth Graveyard with your dragon _girlfriend_." Mammoth Graveyard merged with Living Arrow before slamming right through Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon like clay. "The issue comes in with the mixture of yin and yang. They don't always go together like Yugi and I do. In other words, for every turn, your girlfriend loses 1200 attack."

"_ALRIGHT!_ NICE GOIN' ATEM!" Joey cheered.

"Yeah, look, Kaiba looks more f***ed up than than my brother's evil spirit," Ryan mocked, pointing at Seto Kaiba, who was melting like a snowman.

"I'M NOT DONE YET!" Seto glared. "ATTACK, ULTIMATE DRAGON!" Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon attacked the wall of Kuribohs, but they kept multiplying, once again. Atem smirked while giggling in pity.

"Your little blasts can't do squat for you, Seto," Atem smirked. He drew another card. "I draw one card and end my turn."

Seto watched blankly as he felt the sting of not only, one, but two of his hands. He watched in horror of his Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon _slowly_ dissolving and melting from Mammoth Graveyard being stuck to the monster. Seto knew if he lost, he would lose more than the _company_. Inside the melting dragon, he saw his brother Mokuba inside there.

_"Seto! B... Brother... _helulululp_!"_ The Mokuba illusion cried from inside the melting dragon.

Seto felt himself tremble as he stared at his hands before glancing up at Atem. And illusion of Pegasus appeared behind Atem, two hands on each shoulder. Seto stared blankly at this illusion as Pegasus laughed in mockery.

_"If you _don't_ win, I might just save this blank card for _the winner_ of the tournament," _the Illusion Pegasus smirked before laughing evilly.

_"SETOOOO!"_ Seto heard the voice and saw in the melting dragon of not just Mokuba, but Atem as well. His soft side for Atem was worse than he thought.

_"Helulululp uuuuuussss!"_ Mokuba screamed before both of them drowned into the dragon.

_'I can't lose!'_ Seto thought to himself. He knew he couldn't. It didn't matter if Atem was truly his friend _or not_ and if he was, Seto knew well that Atem was the _only friend_ he had. _'I DON'T CARE WHAT IT TAKES! This is not about just my company anymore!' _If Seto had not learned to control his emotions from the inside, he would be in bitter tears right now. He couldn't show his true feelings during this desperate situation.

Atem noticed something _odd_ in Seto. He seemed... _lost_. It was as if he was about to lose _something_ precious to him. Something was on his mind, something _big_. Atem remembered when Seto challenged him how he mentioned that he _had_ to win to save Mokuba. Still, Atem was planning on saving him too, _wherever he was._ Him and Seto were just dueling to see who would be facing Pegasus and save Mokuba..._ right?_ Was there _more_?

"Seto, are you okay? You look _pale_!" Atem asked in concern. Seto lifted his head and narrowed his eyes.

"I'm fine, just continue already!" Seto lied, holding his emotions in.

"Then I'll banish my Kuribohs and place out Celtic Guardian!" Atem declared as Obnoxious Celtic Guardian appeared boldly. "ATTACK ULTIMATE DRAGON!" Obnoxious Celtic Guardian charged toward the melting dragon and cut off one of its heads. Seto was left with only 400 life points left.

Seto showed a face that held no emotion as if he was an emo kid. He looked behind him, counting the number of stone squares. He stepped on top of a curtain square, which made Atem turn cock-eyed. What in the world was Seto_ trying to do?_ Atem had a bad feeling that the _fun_ was now over. _Something was going on!_

"I lost 500 points from that attack," Seto said, with a voice that showed no emotion. It was empty and cold. "There are five steps before I fall off this castle." Atem's eyebrows rose, realizing the _outcome_ that was about to take place. "Every 100 life points I lose, I take one step backwards. I just lost 500 life points." Seto stepped back five steps and was at the edge of the castle. "I have nothing more to lose. I lost my brother and my company. After this, I'll lose _everything_, unless I defeat Pegasus. If you hit me again, I'll step back one more step, and then die."

"SETO, STOP _F***ING_ WITH ME!" Atem yelled infuriated. "IS WINNING AND DUELING PEGASUS REALLY _THAT_ IMPORTANT TO GIVE UP _YOUR LIFE? _YOU KNOW I'M GOING AFTER MOKUBA TOO!"

"YOU _CAN'T_ WIN AGAINST PEGASUS, ATEM! HE'S _UNSTOPPABLE_! ONLY _I_ CAN WIN AGAINST HIM!"

"I _WILL_ WIN, SETO!" Atem promised, his fist shaking. "JUST _TRUST_ ME!"

"Atem, you want the right to duel Pegasus?" Seto asked coldly. "THEN TAKE OUT MY LIFE! You shouldn't waste your time _caring_ about people's lives, that's why I don't have them!" Atem furrowed his eyebrows. "If that were me, I'd push you off right the edge." _That was a lie!_ Seto had to ignore the intense sting on his left hand while drawing his next card. "I PLAY MONSTER REBORN TO RESERECT THE BLUE-EYES YOU DESTROYED!" A head of Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon appeared in between the melting dragon. Though, _this head_ wasn't melting. "SLIT MY THROAT WITH YOUR CARDS!"

Atem glared at Seto _coldly_. Atem felt hurt and betrayed. He slapped his hand on his deck to surrender the duel. Even though he was an ass, he wasn't a _murderer_. Especially not toward one that was acting _suicidal_. He said, "game over, you win, _Kaiba_." This was the first time, Atem called Seto by his _last name_. The holograms disappeared and Atem shoved the duel disk glove out of his hand and threw it back to Seto roughly. Atem walked toward his friends.

"Listen, forget about that ass," Joey encouraged.

"One more thing!" Seto said, but Atem kept walking, ignoring his rival. Seto knew right away that Atem was _infuriated_ with him for this act. Before Atem could move any farther, he felt the back of his jacket being pulled and was knocked over to the ground. Seto grabbed Atem's star chip glove and pressed a button that removed the star chips from the glove. When they clanged onto the floor of the castle, Seto grabbed a handful and threw them over the castle before Joey could stop him.

"YOU SON OF A BITCH, _YOU_..." Joey shouted in anger as he charged in to sock Seto in the throat, but his fist was grabbed and he felt himself being thrown down onto the ground. Seto smirked with a dark chuckle.

"Work on your fighting skills, Wheeler," Seto smirked. Atem picked up his three remaining star chips.

_"Kaiba,"_ Atem muttered as Seto turned his head. "I'll NEVER forgive you."

Seto felt that sting in his left arm again. He hurt Atem and he knew it, but it was worth it _right? _Atem's life was in danger and Pegasus would've trapped his soul anyway. So... why did Seto feel... _hurt_ as well? He walked quickly toward the door and opened it, using the ten star chips he stole from the Player Killer. Seto was met with one of Pegasus' employers.

"Mr. Pegasus is ready to duel. He's giving you until sunset to set up your deck," the employer said.

"Let me use a restroom," Seto demanded as the employer showed him to the men's room. Seto went inside and locked the door. As soon as the door was locked, he punched his fist against the mirror, hearing the crashing sound of the shards. Some of the pieces falling into the sink, but the mirror showed huge hole of cracks the size of a fist.

Seto fell on his knees and stared at the bleeding marks on his fist. _What had he done? _Seto found himself asking himself this for no reason at all. His vision was also getting blurry and he felt some water on his face. Seto used his free hand to wash it off while trying to find out where that water came from. Then, the answer was clear when he looked at himself in the mirror that was _not_ broken. That drop of water made a line from his eye. Was he... _crying? _Seto grabbed the outside part of his eyes, feeling the sharp pains of his fingernails, but he didn't care. He couldn't take this pain anymore! It was too _unbearable_.

Seto had to admit it to himself. He lost his pride in that duel! That's why Atem was angry at Seto. He lost his pride and played with his rival's... no, the _only friend_ he had, he played with his emotions. Seto was meant to find weakness within Atem, but instead found weakness within _himself_. The ultimate weakness wasn't Seto's _soft side_ for Atem, _no_. The ultimate weakness was his _fears_. The fear of losing the game... Mokuba... _and Atem._

_No words could be said._

**Flightfoot: Or Panik at least. He was a bit on the extreme side. At least the Paradox Brothers were more fair. Though still, they did try to trap the kids in a cave and tried to con play them. Still, I wouldn't have minded that and Atem doesn't have that big of a problem with that.**


	15. The Deadly Duelist King

**In case you didn't read my profile, I'm back from vacation. This means I won't be updating as frequently as I usually do. If anything, I might end up updating one story and not this one. The good news is that I have internet at home, so I can post this right after I'm finished with editing and junk. Review please!**

Atem had finished placing the three remaining chips on his glove. Him and his friends decided to find a duelist to gain all the star chips back. Though, from how it seemed, Atem wasn't going anywhere. After the duel with Seto, Atem seemed more angry and _distant_. The sun was also on its way down west. Everyone felt bad for Atem.

Joey knew that Atem wasn't looking so great and it was because of Seto. He just put his life on the line, taking advantage of Atem's kindness, then threw the star chips into the distance. There was also the idea of looking for the star chips that Seto threw out, but it would be like finding a needle in a haystack. Though, finding a duelist was like that too.

"Atem, forget about Kaiba. He's nothing but an ass," Joey told Atem, trying to cheer him up. He still looked the same as before. "Listen, I'm sorry he took away your star chips, man. I..."

"I don't f***ing care about some damn star chips!" Atem said plainly with angry eyes. He sighed before staring blankly at the ground. "Just can it, Joey."

Joey stared at his friend with worry. He had never seen Atem in pain like this. It was like he didn't care if the world was coming to an end. Something told Joey that even if Atem was to duel, he wouldn't be dueling with _the right mind._ The sun was also on its way down.

"Looks like you all are disqualified!" Kimo smirked mockingly.

"Listen pal! How 'bout you..." Joey glared as Atem put his hand on his friend's shoulder.

"Forget it, Joey!" Atem said as Joey turned his head. "You still have your star chips. I know you can win the money for Serena and rescue my Grandpa and Mokuba." A soft smile came on his face.

_"Atem,"_ Joey muttered as Atem shook his head and turned to walk on his way to the boat that would lead him back home.

"Atem," Hanaski muttered before he ran after his friend. He didn't want Atem to travel alone if he was going back to Japan. They walked far enough to where they were close enough to the boat.

_"HEY!"_ Joey called as Atem slowly turned his head as his friend showed his glove. "You can have _my_ star chips. You've got the key to Kaiba Corp. and you're the only one who actually cares about the asshole. You take them and win."

"Joey, I... _I can't..._" Atem muttered before everyone heard something.

"HEY YA!" Mai called, waving her hand. Everyone ran to the blond woman, who had all her star chips. "Where are you guys going?"

"I'm about to go home," Atem replied, showing his glove that was three star chips.

"_Three_ star chips?"

"Yeah, Kaiba marched his ass back and threw all, but three star chips, off the building," Tristan explained with folded arms and an angry look.

"I won't allow that!" Mai glared as she dug into her pocket and showed eight star chips. "Here's my payment for the other eight star chips you won for me from Panik."

"DAMN! EIGHTEEN STAR CHIPS?" Joey responded, almost yelling.

"She knows her stuff," Ryan smirked with folded arms.

"Well, I'm not going in without my duel with Atem," Mai smirked, still handing her star chips.

"I... _I don't know_," Atem muttered with furrowed eyebrows.

_"You should take them, brother,"_ Yugi suggested next to Atem.

_'Yugi, I shouldn't accept them. I didn't win the star chips, _Mai_ did,'_ Atem explained.

_"Didn't _you_ do the same with Mai?"_

_'Yes, but...'_

_"NO BUTS! Besides, you technically won ten star chips to the kingdom. Seto just threw them away."_

_'Seto...'_ Atem muttered in his head as his eyes narrowed. _'I can never forgive him for taking advantage of me like that. I thought he had _respect_, when playing. That's why I loved playing with him.'_

_"You know he has Mokuba on the line and I'm sure there more than that. Pegasus stole Grandpa's soul and sealed it into your computer. Maybe Mokuba and and his company weren't the _only_ things on the line."_

"Com'on Atem! You can't let Kaiba hold you down like this, even if he was an ass back there. When life brings you down, you need to get back up," Joey said with crossed arms.

"Well, Yugi wants me to take them, so... _fine_," Atem finally agreed as Mai gave him the eight star chips. He had one extra, but he still had ten star chips and that was enough.

Everyone walked together on their way to the castle. They walked up the stairs, which took almost _forever_, before they finally made it to the door. Kimo watched with furrowed eyebrows and a slight smirk as the duelists showed their duel glove with ten star chips. Mai was to go first before she flipped her hair and walked inside. Kimo looked completely blank when he saw ten star chips on Atem's duel glove.

_"Wha..."_ Kimo stuttered.

"I'm qualified, bitch," Atem smirked before Joey showed his star chips and followed his friend inside.

"Hey, _you_ can't come in!" Kimo glared.

"Oh, we're just friends," Hanaski explained.

"Sorry, but unless you've got ten star chips, you are not..." Kimo smirked before he heard a gunshot and felt pain on his right leg that made him fall on his leg. He gasped and looked blankly at Atem who had a pistol in his hand. "How did you..."

"A souvenir from Panik," Atem smirked. "That's payback for yesterday."

"You son of a bitch!"

"Atem two, you one. Pretty sad record," Tristan smirked while passing Kimo. Ryan also happened to flip off Kimo before passing through.

After everyone entered inside the castle, they ended up on a walkway that circled the huge room that was probably twenty feet. It had red carpet and white walls on the sides with fancy patterns. This was no surprise since the gang was inside a mansion, and one owned by a billionaire on top of that. Once the gang was inside, they noticed the staircase that led to the first floor. Next to the staircase, was Bandit Keith.

Joey immediately shook his fists and growled in anger. Atem couldn't blame his blond friend. After all, Bandit Keith did trap them inside a cave. The American psycho was grinning happily as Joey walked to him.

"HEY! You son of a bitch, I'll make you pay for trapping us in that cave!" Joey glared.

"F*** you! I'm about to watch a real show happening," Bandit Keith smirked as Joey rose his eyebrows.

"You all must be the final four!" One of Pegasus' employers announced from behind the four final contestants. He noticed Atem's friends. "I see we have _extra guests_. Luckily, we've prepared extra rooms for all of you."

"Glad to hear," Atem smirked with folded arms. "By the way, one of your _friends_ is bleeding at the front."

"All is taken care of. Pegasus hopes you understand that if that _incident_ happens again, you will automatically be disqualified."

"Oh, _I understand_ as long as _he_ understands that I plan on having my friends tag along to watch me kick his ass."

"DAMN, KID! You shot that basterd?" Bandit Keith gawked up laughing. "You shoulda showed that when dueling that rich ass mother f***er!"

"I'll shoot, but I don't _kill_," Atem said plainly to Bandit Keith as he shrugged.

"Whatev. I just say f*** 'em and send 'em straight to hell."

"You mean just like you did with Joey before your zombie friend got his ass kicked?"

"Before we begin, we have a special event for all of you," Pegasus' employee announced as he pointed his hand toward the bottom of the stairwell where Pegasus and Seto Kaiba were meeting.

Atem looked down from the stop of the walkway that was ten feet from where Seto and Pegasus were standing. Seto looked up and his eyes narrowed even more. Pegasus looked up at the four remaining contestants and smiled in amusement. He knew that Atem would show up, even if Seto threw all of his star chips away. Seto knew it too, but he had to try to find some way to prevent Atem from showing. The only subject on his mind, at this moment, was defeating Pegasus.

Seto stared hardly at Pegasus with an unforgiving glare. He said, "you know the deal. I win, you get your fancy ass out of my company and return Mokuba!"

"Agreed. We will duel in the duel box," Pegasus agreed.

"No, _actually_," Seto smirked as he opened his brief case and took out his duel disk prototype. "We'll be using _these_ to duel with."

"Hm, fancy technology," Pegasus responded as he took the duel disk. He put on the glove on his left hand and made a funny throwing position. "Do I throw like this?" He looked at the duel disk with question on his face. He then shrugged, "sorry, I simply don't know how to throw this. I'll just have to have _someone else_ throw it for me." Seto glared even deeper. "We'll still be playing won't we?"

Two employees came side by side. The first one said, "Mr. Pegasus, we have Mokuba."

_"Excellent,"_ Pegasus smirked as Atem immediately ran down the stairs. When Mokuba was brought in, he was in cuffs, but he seemed _hollow_.

"MOKUBA!" Atem cried as Pegasus laughed.

"I'm afraid Mokuba's not there, Atem-boy. You see, when he found out what I was planning for this tournament, he immediately challenged me to Duel Monsters, hoping to free you. Of course..." Pegasus explained with a shrug before he showed the duel monster card with Mokuba on it. "... there's not much left of him _now_, so it was easy to mess with his mind room."

_"Mokuba,"_ Atem whispered before showing a glare while Pegasus was laughing. "_This_ is unforgivable!"

"Remember, Atem-boy, Kaiba-boy and I are dueling. Our duel will start as soon as you beat all four contestants, which I'm sure _you_ will," Pegasus said with a slight smile. He giggled slightly. "As I was saying about having my _volunteer_..."

"_I'LL_ DO IT!" Atem declared angrily as Pegasus looked at him with raised eyebrows. "Well? You did say I _technically_ won't be dueling Seto, _right?_ You'll be the one playing and all _I_ have to do is place your monster in whatever position you want, and then throw it." Pegasus smiled in amusement.

"It seems you've _predicted_ I would use Mokuba-boy as my volunteer and you're willing to handicap me on one little _scenario _in his place," Pegasus smirked as Atem glared even deeper. "Very well. You _have_ used it before, I suppose there's nothing against having you as my volunteer."

Atem carried the duel disk while looking away from Seto. Seto knew his rival was still mad, because of what he did. Atem clutched onto the duel disk and continually stared at it. Pegasus and Seto drew five cards. Seto changed the feature on the duel disk to _Excellent Duelist mode_, so Pegasus wouldn't look at his cards. Seto stuck his cards inside his glove.

"You place your hand inside the glove," Seto explained as Pegasus did the same. "And since this is on _Excellent Duelist Mode_, we will play this just like regular duel monsters, except we use our glove to tell us which card it is." Seto showed the back of the glove on the compartment where the duel monster cards were to be placed in. There was a screen where it showed the information on the cards. "Now, it will be unreadable. I want to try out this feature on _you_."

"Ah, you're trying to see if this could prevent my mind reading abilities," Pegasus smirked with a slight chuckle. "Very well. I'll take that challenge. Let's duel!" He smirked and gave a monster card to Atem. "I place Toon Alligator in defense mode." Atem placed Toon Alligator in a defense position on the duel disk before throwing it out to the field. "Then, I place one card face-down." Pegasus pressed something on his glove, pressing the Trap and Spell Card Zone before a holographic face-down card was shown in front of Pegasus.

"I place one card face-down," Seto announced as a holographic face-down card was also shown in front of him. "I also play Rude Kaiser!" Rude Kaiser was placed on the disk before being thrown and showed the monster in attack mode. "Attack Toon Monster!" Rude Kaiser punched right through Toon Alligator and destroyed it.

_"Oh no!"_ Pegasus said in a fake manner after his toon was destroyed. _"1800 life points, what do I do?"_

"Let _me_ do the insulting," Atem glared before showing a slight smirk. "You're _apparently_ not good at it."

"If you say so Atem..."

"Call me _Atem-boy_ and I'll kick your f***ing ass!"

"Then I'll summon Parrot Dragon," Pegasus smirked as Seto flipped his card.

"I'll use my spell card, Mesmeric Control," Seto before his monster punched Parrot Dragon, having Pegasus to be left with only 1400 life points. Pegasus seemed to be faking his _bad play_ and Atem knew it. In fact, he could sense that Pegasus was still able to read Seto's cards.

_"You should tell, Seto! I don't think he knows yet,"_ Yugi said, but Atem furrowed his eyebrows and just stood there by Pegasus.

Seto drew his next card, but before he could play it, Pegasus yelled, "STOP!" Atem kept his glare, knowing what Pegasus was planning. "Before you show me that card, I have a trap against it." Pegasus activated his trap card, whose holographic card flipped and the title read _'Prophecy.'_ "With this, I can guess rather your monster card is more, equal, or less than 2000 and if my hunch is correct, it's more." Seto's eyes widened and sweat was pouring down his face. "I also predict you were about to play Blue-Eyes White Dragon."

"You son of a bitch!" Seto glared as Atem kept his face.

_"Why didn't you warn him?"_ Yugi glared at Atem as he stood with the same face. Yugi knew why, Atem was still mad at Seto.

"That card is mine, Kaiba-boy," Pegasus smirked as Seto gave him the card with fear in his eyes. "Looks like you just lost your very soul card."

Seto glared deeply. _Nobody_ ever took his card and he was to make sure that rich billionaire paid for that. Atem seemed to just be standing there as if he was just a _robot_. Pegasus drew one card and ended his turn. Seto drew his next card, but couldn't help giving a glance at Atem. The way he was standing, the way he was looking at Seto's direction made Seto feel nauseated. _Why was he feeling this way?_ It wasn't like he was sick or something.

Seto decided to ignore it and announced, "I place Rude Kaiser in defense mode and end my turn."

Pegasus smiled casually and Atem noticed a glowing tent to the millennium eye. He knew Pegasus was going through Seto's mind. Still, Atem never made any comments against it. He just stood there and waited for Pegasus to ask for the teen to help him summon a monster. A smile appeared on Pegasus's lips and Atem could still hear his brother telling him to warn Seto. Still, Atem just stood there like a robot.

"I place one card face-down," Pegasus declared before handing Atem another card. "I place Dark Rabbit in defense mode." Atem placed Dark Rabbit in a defense position before throwing the disk out on the field and the holographic rabbit appeared in a defensive position.

"MY TURN!" Seto announced while drawing two more cards. "I sacrifice Saggi the Dark Clown to activate my Crush Card!"

"Then I activate my face-down card," Pegasus smirked as he revealed his spell card. "Negative Energy. This doubles your dark monsters, including..."

_"Saggie the Dark Clown,"_ Atem finished in a robot-like fashion.

"It seems you _knew_ this situation would occur," Pegasus smirked while Atem made no response, besides just standing there. "You _knew_ I planned on killing his Crush Card." Seto glared at Pegasus and stared at Atem. The more Seto stared at his rival, the more nauseated he became. He didn't even pay attention to the fact that Dark Rabbit wiped out Saggi the Dark Clown and he remained with 1000 life points. "What is _this_ I see on your face, Kaiba-boy?"

Seto faced Pegasus again with a glare and asked, "are you asking me if I'm _afraid_? Then maybe your mind scanning abilities are as _whack_ as they say."

"Not _fear_, Kaiba-boy. I can sense a guilty conscience inside your heart. You seem _very guilty_ about something," Pegasus smirked before eying at Atem. He decided to have a little _fun_ by reading Atem's mind. It became clear of the situation. "_I see._ I didn't think my little _threat_ would put such a lovely friendship at risk." Atem turned his eyes toward Pegasus. "Ah well, Kaiba-boy didn't have to make things _complicated_. It was _his_ doing after all. Let's continue the game, shall we?"

"I will!" Seto glared before placing Battle Ox in defense mode. "That ends my turn."

"Then it's mine," Pegasus smirked as he drew his next card. "Let me ask you _this_, do you like cartoons?" Seto showed a deep glare. "I'll take that as a _'no.'_ I _love_ cartoons..."

"Why do we want to know about your stupid _childhood_?" Atem asked while rolling his eyes. "Just play a damn card!"

"Very well. I'll take you to _my world_," Pegasus said, smiling happily as he showed his spell card. "TOON WORLD!"

"You have got to be f***ing kidding me!"

"It seems _you're_ not a big cartoon fan."

"Not when you room with someone who watches them EVERY F***ING DAY OF THE WEEK!"

"So,_ Yugi-boy's_ a cartoon fan."

"And of the _Muppets_."

"With this, all of my cards become toon cards," Pegasus smiled happily. A book opened like a pop-up book. "Now, Dark Rabbit, attack Battle Ox!" Toon Dark Rabbit popped out of the pop-up book and punched Battle Ox as the monster smashed into pieces.

"_Surprisingly_, this is better than the Kuribohs," Seto responded before Toon Dark Rabbit jumped back into the book and it closed, protecting the toon. Seto glared and growled under his teeth in annoyance. "I place one card face-down and end my turn."

"Let me show you something interesting, Kaiba-boy," Pegasus smirked as he showed Seto's Blue-Eyes White Dragon. "_This_ is the Blue-Eyes White Dragon I got from you. Now, see what happens when I play it. _Atem..._" Pegasus gave Atem the card. Seto stared at Atem with cold blue eyes. Atem took his eyes away from Seto, which made him feel more sick than he's ever been in his life. Atem placed Blue-Eyes White Dragon in attack mode before throwing it as a cartoon version of Seto's soul card appeared. "It is Blue-Eyes Toon Dragon! What do you think, Kaiba-boy or are you too busy feeling _sorry_ for yourself?" Seto glared at Pegasus angrily.

"You'll pay for this, Pegasus! How dare you turn my Blue-Eyes into a _freak show_!" Seto shouted as Pegasus laughed in amusement.

"Toon Blue-Eyes, attack Rude Kaiser!" Pegasus declared as Blue-Eyes Toon Dragon destroyed Rude Kaiser.

"Then I'll discard my _entire_ hand!" Seto declared in a yell as he placed all his cards in the discard pile. "And before I do anything else. I want you to know _something_ Pegasus, you listening?"

"All ears, Kaiba-boy," Pegasus said smilingly.

"I _won't_ forgive you," Seto said coldly, clutching his fists. "I won't forgive you for toying with me, _with Mokuba_. I don't care _how_ you plan to gain my company!" A smirk laid across his lips. "You can take Atem's soul for all I care."

Atem's eyebrows rose. _Pegasus was trying to take his soul?_ Pegasus chuckled, "It's not just Atem's soul, you know. You forget out his little _Yugi-boy_."

"YOU SON OF A BITCH!" Atem cried at Pegasus with anger. "You used _me_ to threaten Seto?" Pegasus smiled and a dark chuckle escaped his nose. Atem turned his head back at Seto. "I have one question, Seto."

"What?" Seto asked with folded arms.

"Do you trust me with your key?"

"Do I have a choice?"

"That _doesn't_ answer my question."

Seto rolled his eyes and replied, "yes."

"Then you can trust me?" Atem said as Seto started seeing what his friend was trying to tell him. Seto needed to trust that Atem can duel _and win_ against Pegasus. Seto smirked and nodded.

Seto closed his and thought, _'I'll have to trust my deck just like I trust Atem.'_ He closed his eyes and drew his next card, automatically placing it in attack mode and declaring, "I place _this_ in attack mode!" Blue-Eyes White Dragon appeared. "Glad to see you back."

_"Thank you, Seto. As long as your faith and trust still holds, I will always fight by you side,"_ Kisara promised as Seto smirked.

"It's time you felt my wrath, Pegasus!" Seto declared, pointing his index finger at Pegasus. "I'LL NEVER FORGIVE YOU FOR TURNING KISARA INTO A JOKE! BLUE-EYES, ATTACK!" Blue-Eyes White Dragon attacked with lightning balls before Blue-Eyes Toon Dragon stretched and dodged the attacks. _"WHAT THE..."_

Atem gawked up laughing and said, "sorry Seto, but the look on your face it too _hilarious_!" He laughed even louder as Seto glared even deeper. "As long as the cards are cartoons, they can _never_ be destroyed. Have you ever seen Tom and Jerry?"

"SHUT THE F*** UP!" Seto shouted, though, he was surprisingly _glad_ that Atem was acting like himself again. Though, his stomach was still a little achy.

"My turn!" Pegasus declared as he drew two cards.

"Be careful," Atem warned with serious eyes. "Pegasus knows every card in your deck now."

Seto nodded his head. Pegasus declared, "I use my spell card Shining Palace. This increases my light monsters to 500 points and opens a new page to Toon World." The pop-up book turned pages and showed a pop-up white castle that was shining bright and white. "Now, my Blue-Eyes Toon Dragon attacks!" Blue-Eyes Toon Dragon attacked Blue-Eyes White Dragon.

"TRAP! ATTACK NEGATE!" Seto declared as the attack was sucked into a worm hole and Pegasus kept his smile. Atem looked at Seto with faith and determination. "MY TURN!" The CEO President drew his next card. "I play Shadow Spell!" Blue-Eyes Toon Dragon was wrapped in chains with no ability to move whatsoever. "Now, Kisara can get rid of you joke for a dragon!" Blue-Eyes White Dragon obliterated Blue-Eyes Toon Dragon and Pegasus' life points stooped down to 1200.

_"Thank you, Seto. Now that _imposter_ is destroyed,"_ Kisara said with confidence.

"You are a good duelist, Kaiba-boy. Just now, I felt your great bond and love for Blue-Eyes White Dragon. As a game designer, that's the greatest compliment ever," Pegasus said with a soft smile. He drew his next card. "Unfortunately, that _love_ will be the cause of your defeat. I play Dragon Capture Jar." A huge jar appeared and captured the Blue-Eyes White Dragon.

_"SEEETOOOOO!"_ Kisara screamed before the dragon was captured inside the jar.

"KISARA!" Seto cried, sweat was pouring on his face as he drew his next card. "I play Swordstalker in defense mode!"

"Seto, hang in there!" Atem cried as Pegasus drew his next card.

"I place one card face-down, then summon Dragon Piper in defense mode," Pegasus declared before ending his turn. Seto knew what was going to happen and so did Atem. Seto declared to himself that he would _never_ let that happen and drew his next card.

"Swordstalker, attack Pegasus' Dragon Piper!" Seto declared.

"Then I'll play this spell card Doppelganger," Pegasus replied as Atem eyed the card and his face turned pale.

_"It can change into any card throughout the whole game,"_ Atem muttered, thinking of what Pegasus was going to use.

"I chose your Crush Card," Pegasus smirked as he placed Crush Card and equipped it to Dragon Piper. Seto gasped and Atem's heart was beating faster than his blinking eyes.

_"SETO NO!"_ Atem cried, tears leaking out. He couldn't lose Seto again, _not like this!_

Seto drew his last card that he had in his deck. He muttered, "I... put this in defense mode." Atem couldn't take this anymore! He shoved Pegasus the duel disk and ran by Seto's side. Seto looked into those violet eyes sadly.

"Now, I summon Bickuribox!" Pegasus declared and struck and destroyed Seto's monster before a red light flashed, declaring that Seto ran out of cards. He stared down at the ground in defeat before those blue eyes came up at Atem. "It looks like you lost. That was a good show, but you know that losers lose things most precious to them, even their _own soul_."

_"NO!"_ Atem cried, standing in front of Seto. "YOU CHEATING SON OF A BITCH! IF YOU WANT TO TRAP SOMEONE'S SOUL, TAKE..."

"NO!" Seto glared, grabbing Atem by each arm and staring directly into those dark eyes. "I _knew_ this was going to happen, Atem. Don't let my sacrifice be in vein! You have my key, _I don't!_ At our duel, _I_ was the one who lost, because I was _afraid_!"

_"Seto,"_ Atem muttered, his lips quivering.

"You showed me true courage by putting your trust in me and surrendering, while I couldn't have the balls to trust _you_. _I know_ you will defeat Pegasus just like you defeated me in Death-T. I..._ I trust you_ and I'm sorry I never did before."

If Atem didn't fear of this moment being the last chance he had of seeing his friend, he would've seen the shocked looks on his friends' faces. Seto had just _apologized_, and to his rival no doubt. Seto showed a soft smile that was only seen around Mokuba and Atem. He looked at Pegasus with angry eyes as the white-haired billionaire chuckled in amusement. Two friends making up and saying their heartwarming _goodbyes_.

"Do it, Pegasus!" Seto said boldly as Pegasus' millennium eye glowed and Seto's soul was sealed into Pegasus' soul card. It showed Seto's face on the side as the rest of Seto's body fell into Atem's arms.

"Such a _touching_ reunion," Pegasus smirked, holding Seto's soul card and Mokuba's soul card. "So close _and yet_ so far apart."

Atem burst into tears while holding Seto's limped body in his arms. He yelled, "I WON'T FORGIVE YOU FOR THIS, PEGASUS!"

"_Hmmmm_, your angst for your lost friend amuses me," Pegasus mocked before flipping his hair and leaving the room.

Atem turned his head back to his fallen friend and closed his eyelids. Atem didn't hold back from shedding more tears and burying his face on the back of Seto's neck. Atem took Seto's deck and placed it in his pocket. Here was Seto, _yet again,_ fallen in a never-ending sleep. Atem wept so bitterly, he never noticed his friends slowly walking behind him, trying to find a way to calm their friend. Not even Joey knew what to say that would make Atem feel better. _There were no words for this._

Hanaski leaned next to Atem and put a hand on his shoulder. He glanced at Hanaski, who showed a pitied face. Atem furrowed his eyebrows and stared at Seto's limped body. He crawled under Seto and had his body over Atem's shoulder before being carried to a guest room. After laying the body on the guest bed, Atem brushed his fingers through Seto's hair as a sigh escaped his mouth. Everyone was standing by the doorway.

"Seto put his trust in me. Now... _the true battle begins_," Atem said coldly as his friends nodded.


	16. Stealth in the Night

**This won't include any dueling, which (to me) is a relief. Trust me, writing duels is not as easy as it looks. I'm also in the process of coming up with an anti pairing video to post on YouTube. I had a good song, but it included rape, so I'm gonna use the song Torn. Review please!**

Everyone had made it inside the castle. Atem's new encouragement and reason to take down Pegasus gave him back his game face. Atem was willing to defeat Pegasus with everything he had. Seto was safe in the guest room, so all the teenager had to do was protect the key. If Pegasus got a hold of the second key, Kaiba Corporation would be in big trouble.

It was dinner time and soup was served for everyone, even Atem's friends. Pegasus was prepared to serve more than four people, which told Atem that Pegasus didn't expect the Player Killers to be a success or he was aware of Atem bringing friends along. Either way, there were four finalists: himself, Joey, Bandit Keith, and Mai Valentine.

Joey dug into the soup like a hungry bear. Apparently, he _loved_ the soup, not that Atem could blame his blond friend. He took out his iPhone and turned it on. Solomon appeared on the screen.

"Hey grandpa, I made it to the final four," Atem announced.

_"That's good, Atem! I'm proud of you. Funny how a whole day can pass by so quickly,"_ Solomon grinned happily. Atem chuckled in response since his grandpa would_ turn off_ when the cell phone was off. For how the day would seem like a day to Atem would seem like a whole second to Solomon, if the cell phone was off that long.

"Unfortunately, Seto's back into in coma again."

_"Oh my word! What happened?"_

"He..." Atem muttered before eying Bandit Keith and the other employers. He whispered, "Pegasus sealed his soul inside a card. He also has the first key, if he gets the key from me, Kaiba Corp. will be his."

_"That _is_ awful!"_

"I'm just gonna have to beat him in order to save the Kaiba brothers and you."

_"Don't pressure yourself, Atem. Sometimes victory comes by taking things one step at a time."_

"I'll try," Atem said with a smile. "I love you."

_"I love you too, grandson. Don't pressure yourself too much."_

"Ok."

Atem turned off his cell phone and began to eat his soup. He then felt his spoon hit _something_ in the soup. His eyebrows rose before he scooped up the object with the spoon and found a round ball that looked like a replica of the millennium eye.

"Uh... I think there's something in our soup," Atem said as Joey scooped up another millennium eye replica.

"What the f***?" Joey glared as a screen appeared ahead of the table with Pegasus' face.

_"IIIIIIItttttt's show time!"_ Pegasus announced with a bright smile. _"How did you enjoy your soup?"_

"THANKS FOR POISONING OUR SOUP, YOU MOTHER F***ING JERK!" Joey shouted as Atem rolled his eyes.

"Oh, the eye, it's part of today's meal. The Tournament Entree Bingo!"

_"Bingo?"_ Mai questioned with a puzzled face.

"Yep, every participant should've been given a replica of the millennium eye. Just open it and you'll find your next opponent tomorrow," Pegasus explained. Everyone opened their millennium eye replica and found a note with letters from A-D. Atem had A, Mai had B, Bandit Keith had C, and Joey had D. "Now, time to announce who will be playing against whom."

Pegasus' face from the screen disappeared and replaced by a chart that explained which letter would duel what letter. A was against B and C was against D. Joey showed a wide smirk and jumped in the air with a fist-up.

_"ALRIGHT!"_ Joey smirked excitedly. He pointed to Bandit Keith with his index finger. "IT'S PAYBACK TIME FOR TRAPPING US IN THAT CAVE!"

"Ha, whatever. I'm gonna kick your f***ing ass anyways," Bandit Keith smirked cockily.

"I guess it'll be you against me, Mai," Atem said with a soft smile.

"Yep and according to the chart, _we_ play the first round," Mai replied before they both shook hands.

"Now, remember, you four must duel and show your cards Honor of the King's Right and Honor of the King's left. If you don't have these cards, you're disqualified," one of Pegasus' employers declared.

Bandit Keith seemed to be sweating alot. Since he never came here as _a qualified member_, he was never granted the two cards. Joey, on the other hand, had the two cards from Weevil. He was excited to be in the second round with Bandit Keith and make him pay for the incident in the cave. Revenge was written on Joey's face and was determined to not rest until Bandit Keith payed for forcing Joey to duel and locking him and his friends inside the cave.

Atem was determined to get to Pegasus and make him pay for locking his grandpa's soul and for trapping Seto's and Mokuba's soul. The teenager knew he was under Pegasus' mercy as long as the rich billionaire held those cards of his dear loved ones. Atem knew the only way to save them was to play this game Pegasus' way. For right now, he had to prepare his deck for tomorrow. Luckily, his friends had rooms as well, so Atem had privacy.

That night, all the duelists were in their rooms preparing their decks. Atem took his time, and had Yugi's help as well, to build his deck. By the time it was done, it was already 10:00 at night. Atem liked the sight of dark nights like these. The blackness was like his blanket. He stared out the dark sky out the window and smiled pleasantly before hearing the door open. _It was Ryan._

"Ryan, you need anything?" Atem asked.

"There's something I need to show you," Ryan said as Atem nodded. He followed his white-haired friend down the staircase. They were at the dining room where everyone ate their soup. At first, Atem stared at Ryan with a confused look, then he pointed over-top of the entrance. _"Look."_

Atem gasped and saw two huge pictures over the entrance, which he never noticed _surprisingly_. One was of a beautiful blond woman with an expensive looking dress and the other was Shadi. These two pictures were painted as if done by _a professional_. Though, Atem could tell Pegasus did these, seeing his name was on the bottom-right hand corner of the pictures. This meant that Pegasus had met Shadi once before.

"It's just like I thought. Pegasus knows _something_ about the millennium items," Ryan whispered as Atem stared at the pictures again. Shadi, indeed, still held the millennium key around his neck. "After the tournament, we can find out more about these millennium items."

"Perhaps," Atem agreed. He sighed deeply before turning to Ryan. "I'm also worried about Mokuba. We should probably try to find his shelled body, so Pegasus doesn't have us _completely_ in his mercy. It's bad enough he has their souls."

"Good idea," Ryan smirked before showing a serious look. "The question is, how in this world are we gonna find him?"

"We'll just have to search. We've got all night and I don't want to wait a moment longer before Pegasus rapes Mokuba or something."

"You _seriously_ believe he'll do that, not that I'd be surprised if he did?"

"I don't know, and to be honest, I don't _wanna_ know."

"Then I suppose we should start looking."

Ryan and Atem walked out of the dining room. They crept through the hallway, which was quiet without a soul in sight. Atem saw two guards guarding an entrance to some sort of dungeon looking area. This gave him suspicion. Why would two guards guard a room unless it had something _valuable or worth protecting_? Atem showed a wide smirk.

"We need to take the guards out," Atem whispered to Ryan.

"How? It's not like we can easily keep them off guard," Ryan asked with furrowed eyebrows.

"I think I have an idea," Atem smirked as he cradled the millennium puzzle. He concentrated on the dark powers as the guards freaked out and ran from their positions. "Looks like I'm getting the hang of this."

"Nice," Ryan smirked as him and Atem ran toward the dungeon area, which were stairs that led to an actual dungeon. Atem stared at across the dark hall and saw several cells. One of them held Mokuba, who was lying on the cold stoned ground.

Out of reflects, Atem ran to the cell and grabbed the two bars that separated him and the small boy sleeping on the stoned ground. He cried, "MOKUBA!"

"Looks like we'll need a key for that," Ryan said before they heard a gun reloading.

Atem eyed behind him and saw a guard with a pistol in his hand. He narrowed his eyebrows as the guard had a chuckle escape his lips.

"You thought you could get away, did ya?" the guard smirked.

"To be honest, I _sorta_ figured you'd be following us," Atem smirked as his millennium puzzle glowed and the guard grabbed his head.

"_No!_ NO! GET AWAY! GET AWAY!" the guard cried as Atem snatched the keys from his belt. He also happened to grab the gun too before the guard saw Atem and Ryan again. He held his hands up since Atem held a pistol that was pointed at him. "_Wha_... how'd you do that?"

"You can tell Pegasus he can kiss my ass," Atem smirked as Ryan unlocked the prison gate and swung Mokuba over his shoulder. "And your boss isn't the only one with a millennium item. If he can use millennium items, so can I."

"You son of a bitch!" The guard cursed as Atem forced him into the cell Mokuba was in and locked it.

Atem and Ryan returned out of the dungeon and quickly ran to the guest room. Ryan laid Mokuba next to where Seto was lying in. Now, Seto and Mokuba were safe and sound, at least their bodies were. Their souls may've still been in Pegasus' hands, but their bodies were now _untouched_. Pegasus wouldn't be able to do anything to the bodies. Still, they were in his mercy as long as he had their souls trapped.

"Ryan, even though Pegasus doesn't have them, they might get taken. You mind staying and watching over these guys?" Atem asked.

"Of course," Ryan replied as Atem gave him the pistol once held by the guard.

"If any of Pegasus' guards come here and touch them, shoot 'em."

_"Right!"_ Ryan agreed with a slight smirk. "You better get some sleep. You've got a big day ahead of you."

"Right," Atem agreed before sitting by Seto's bedside and brushing his fingers through that straight brown hair. "Get some rest, Seto. I won't let your sacrifice be in vain."

Atem then got up and walked out the door. He walked on his way to his room, but not before seeing a shadow at Joey's bedroom door. This startled Atem and gave him a short gasp. The shadow froze in place as Atem rose two eyebrows.

"Joey, are you okay?" Atem asked.

_"Yeah, I'm fine,"_ the voice replied, but not in Joey's voice.

"_Wait_, you're not Joey! What are you doing in Joey's room?" Atem demanded with suspicion. Bandit Keith responded by grabbing a hold of Atem's shirt and picking him up from the ground.

"GO BACK TO SLEEP YOU MOTHER F***ING PIECE OF SHIT!" Bandit Keith shouted before punching Atem square on the face. Atem's body hit the door and bonked the head. Atem wiped the blood from his mouth and stood back up. "_F***!_ YOU'RE _STILL_ STANDING?"

"You wanna fight? I'll fight and you can just go straight to hell!" Atem glared before dodging one of Bandit Keith's punches. He slipped behind Bandit Keith and kicked the back of the knees before pushing the rest of his body face-down. Atem sat on top of Bandit Keith's upper body and held two wrists to the floor.

"GET OFF ME, YOU F***ING BITCH!"

"You maybe good at Duel Monsters, but you sure suck in street fighting. I used to work at a gang that stole and raped women on a daily basis, so don't try _messing_ with me!" Atem threatened. Bandit Keith responded by throwing off a glare. At the same time, Joey happened to have opened the door from his room.

"What the hell happened?" Joey asked awestruck as soon as he saw his friend holding Bandit Keith down.

"Your _opponent_ was in your room. Think you can search him to see what he was up to?" Atem asked smirkingly as Joey searched Bandit Keith and found the blank card _"Honor of the King's Left."_ "Guess that answers the question. _Somebody_ didn't sign up for the competition or lost his cards."

_"You f***ing bitch!"_ Bandit Keith seethed through his teeth.

"Normally, I'd take these, but I'm gonna need you to be here in order to kick your f***ing ass!" Joey spat before dropping the card in front of the American thief. "I already got the King's Right, so I don't need that f***ing card. _It's yours._"

"Then looks like my work here is done," Atem said before releasing Bandit Keith and giving him room to stand. "And I'll do worse if you go sneaking into my friend's room again."

"Whatever, just f*** off," Bandit Keith spat before picking up the stolen card and walking into his room.

Tea happened to have opened the door and saw Joey and Atem in the hall. Atem had some blood on his mouth, which told the young girl that he had been in a fight. Tea gasped, relieved it wasn't Yugi, and asked, "what happened?"

"Bandit Keith decided to choose tonight to start a fight," Atem replied.

"Com'on Atem, let's see what damage he did," Tea said while grabbing Atem's arm and leading him to her room.

"What are you, _my nurse_?"

"Suck it up, hothead!"

Tea got out a warm wet rag to wipe the blood, so the busted lip would heal. Atem felt so embarrassed, but sucked it up, since Tea _was_ trying to help. Joey eventually grew tired and left out of Tea's room and into his room. Atem stayed to wash his face before going back into his room.

"Thanks Tea," Atem thanked.

"What are friends for?" Tea replied.

"I don't know, but I know what _bitches_ are for," Atem teased as Tea rolled her eyes. Atem's face then turned serious. "Listen, when you and Yugi started going out I... was a bit _harsh_. I'm sorry. You're a good person Tea and I'm glad you and Yugi are together."

"Let me guess, you're becoming more _understandable_ about our relationship now that you have a girl to love."

_"Yeah,"_ Atem blushed while rubbing the back of his neck. "I get it now. For right now, Serenity is at the hospital and will be there for a while, but I'll figure out _some way_ to work this whole dating thing out. My reputation will keep the double dating thing _unrumored_. I'll still have to figure out how to pull it off with Serenity. I don't know how to tell her that I'm sharing a body with an annoying pest who's dating a bitch."

_"You're hilarious,"_ Tea replied, rolling her eyes. "I'm sure you'll think of something. I'm not sure how to explain to _anyone_ about this paranormal fiasco."

"You're probably right," Atem said before letting out a sigh. "Anyways, Yugi wants to say goodnight."

Atem changed to Yugi and he sat next to Tea on the bed side. He wrapped his arms around Tea and laid a gentle kiss on those soft lips before whispering, _"goodnight."_

"Goodnight, Yugi," Tea replied before kissing her boyfriend back.

Yugi got off the bed before leaving the room. He walked straight into his room and turned off the lights to head for bed. He plopped on the bed as a deep sigh escaped his mouth. Tonight had been a _crazy_ night. Atem had dinner, which ended up deciding who would play against who in the tournament. Then, Atem snuck into the dungeon that Pegasus owned to retrieve Mokuba's body. Now, Atem just finished _picking a fight_ with Bandit Keith not too long ago and Yugi still felt the pain from that punch.

Atem's spirited form laid over Yugi with the chin laying over his shoulder. Atem felt so stressed from the past two days of entering the tournament. He just wanted to rest and sleep, _never_ waking up, not in a suicidal way of course. The darkness filled the sky like a blanket. Atem liked the feeling of the dark night and imagined himself being surrounded by _pure darkness_ like his most cherished dream. Yugi nuzzled his face inside Atem's neck.

"Brother," Yugi said, snapping out of Atem's trance. "I know I've told you this a million times, but... _I love you._"

_"I love you too,"_ Atem replied after pulling his head up and stroking Yugi's soft cheeks. _"Did you know that?"_

"I know it, but it sounds sweeter when _you_ say it," Yugi said before wrapping his arms around his brother and holding him tightly. "I'm also nervous about the tournament. Pegasus said that if we lose, than _both of us_ will be trapped into two soul cards... we'll be apart _forever_."

_"Yugi,"_ Atem said before pushing Yugi's gold bangs from that childish face. _"We're not gonna separate. We'll win and rescue the Kaiba Brothers and Grandpa."_

"But... aren't you _nervous_? Aren't you afraid we'll lose each other?" Yugi asked before pushing Yami onto the bed on his back while having his face nuzzled. Yugi needed comforting by his brother. "I love you. I don't want to lose you," He admitted, arms still around Atem's neck and his head under it. "I want to stay with you forever and ever. I can't imagine my life without you, brother."

_"I can't either, Yugi,"_ Atem admitted while holding Yugi closely and laying a kiss on his neck. _"I'm nervous about this too, but I know we'll defeat Pegasus together. We're a team Yugi and we always will be. We haven't come all this way for nothing and if anything happens to us, we can count on our friends."_

"Really?"

_"I _know_ we can,"_ Atem said while stroking Yugi's cheek once again. Yugi placed his hand on Atem's cheek and stroked it with his thumb.

"I overheard you tell Ryan last night that I looked cute when I sleep. I kinda think the same about you," Yugi admitted as Atem showed a smirk. "You're like a soft talking teddy bear."

_"It doesn't matter, Yugi. You're cuter than any person I know."_

"What about Serenity?"

_"She's a different kind of cute, Yugi,"_ Atem replied while rolling her eyes. _"She's the hot stuff cute, while you're the puppy cute."_

"A teddy bear is cuter and you know it."

_"I guess beauty's in the eyes of the beholder."_

"Isn't that for romantic..."

_"Suck it up, Yugi, you know what I mean!"_

"Whatev," Yugi giggled while rolling his eyes before kissing Atem on the cheek. "Goodnight brother."

_"Goodnight, Yugi,"_ Atem replied before laying his cheek next against Yugi's and letting sleep take control of him.


	17. Find Yourself!

**Here is the next chapter. Atem is going to duel against Mai. It will also be the first time he gets to summon Black Luster Soldier. Cool huh? Black Luster Soldier is one of my favorite duel monster cards, because it's freakin' awesome. Review please!**

Atem woke up the next morning with a big fat bruise on his chin from Bandit Keith. He sighed deeply in annoyance while touching the bruised chin to check and see if there were any cuts. Luckily, there weren't any open cuts from the punch. Atem decided to not worry about Bandit Keith since Joey was taking care of him. Right now, he needed to focus on the next match.

Atem slipped into his normal comfortable black tank top along with a pair of tight blue jeans and tennis shoes. His belt was strapped in a diagonal style and a chain belt in the same manner, but in the opposite angle. The millennium puzzle stood on the dresser with the Eye of Horus staring at Atem before Yugi appeared sitting on the dresser next to the puzzle. He held a huge smile, which made Atem smirk.

_"Ready?"_ Yugi asked.

"I am," Atem replied before turning on his iPhone and seeing his grandpa's face appear on the screen. "Good morning, Grandpa."

_"Atem, what happened to you!"_ Solomon asked in horror, seeing the bruise on Atem's chin.

"Bandit Keith was sneaking in Joey's room and we got into a fight. I'll be fine," Atem replied while leaning against the dresser.

_"I swear, Atem. You have a thing for picking fights. I'm surprised you haven't broken your leg yet!"_

"That's what you said about me getting my motorcycle license."

_"And I still hold that to this day!"_

Atem rolled his eyes while a giggle escaped his nose, saying, "I love you too."

_"You know, one of the things I've noticed about you and Yugi is that he helps you balance your inner self."_

"What do you mean?" Atem asked confused.

_"Well, before Yugi became a part of your life, most of the time, you showed overconfidence and pride. Yugi helps you balance the inner part of yourself that you're afraid to face. Sooner or later, you're going to have to look in the mirror and see the overconfidence, pride, and selfishness that you face on regular basis. If you don't, you'll never learn to face yourself and your fears. They will haunt your life, because _nobody_ wants to face their fears. It's like when you used to be afraid of the monsters under your bed. It doesn't just make you a better gamer, but_ a better person_."_

"I'm not afraid to face Pegasus."

_"Maybe not, but the question is not whether if you're afraid of _Pegasus_ or not. You show fears, Atem. Fears that you never admit to yourself. What you don't know, is that Yugi faces them as well, because you can't face your own and the same can go vice versa. You already know to not show fear, but the question is if you're willing to face it yourself. Don't be afraid of facing your true self, because only then will you find your real strength."_

"I understand," Atem nodded, not being sure what his grandfather was talking about, but decided to worry about that later. His friends entered into his room from sleeping.

"You ready?" Hanaski asked with an exciting smile on his face.

"You know it," Atem smirked before he placed the millennium puzzle around his neck. While doing this, Yugi jumped off the dresser and ran to his brother's side. "Let's go!"

Everyone walked together down the hallway and down the staircase. Ryan stayed behind to watch over Mokuba and Seto, just in case Pegasus tried to get a hold of their soulless bodies. Atem saw Mai and Bandit Keith waiting at the main room where Pegasus' Duel Box was located. Joey joined along with the group and his best friend as one of the final four.

Pegasus walked down the steps with two guards following from behind. Atem could _never_ forgive Pegasus for what he did to Seto and Mokuba. He wanted to duel Pegasus and defeat him to rescue the Kaiba brothers, but knew he had to beat Mai to get there. Pegasus walked to the seat made for him to sit and watch the duels and clapped his hands.

"Welcome, you all are the final four that have come this far to reach your goal," Pegasus announced before signaling his employee to bring in a chest and open it. Inside was a pile of gold worth millions of dollars. "The winner will receive all of this as his reward."

"Sweet," Bandit Keith smirked.

"Oh my!" Mai grinned cheerfully. "That's enough for me to live in Paris."

"And f*** with French guys," Atem added before his friends, besides Tea, chuckled and got himself whacked by the blond's fist. "I was just kidding!"

"I'm starting to like that bitch," Bandit Keith smirked.

"Shut the f*** up, I'm still mad at you for last night," Atem glared as Bandit Keith showed his smirking teeth.

"As you know, the first round is Atem versus Mai. Both duelists enter the Duel Box!" Pegasus announced before Atem and Mai entered inside the Duel Box.

Atem and Mai shuffled each others' decks with confidence in their eyes. Atem peered at Mai while shuffling with a slight smirk. He was tempted on making a good joke before starting with their duel.

"I hope you're not planning on doing your _aroma tricks_ again. The last thing I need is your stinky perfume," Atem smirked as Mai chuckled darkly.

"Trust me. With _you_, I don't _need_ my tactics. I only use those to freak my opponents out, but you already know about my tactics. Besides, I'm planning on dueling you... _differently_," Mai replied with a devious smirk.

"Then I wish you the best of luck," Atem said before returning Mai's deck the same time the blond woman returned his his deck. The teenage boy knew that he had to beat Mai to get to Pegasus and avenge Seto. So much was on the boy's shoulders and he was willing to do whatever it took to win this game.

"I summon Harpy Lady!" Mai declared.

"Just make sure she doesn't give me herpes," Atem smirked as Mai glared in annoyance.

"_HA!_ Nice one!" Bandit Keith shouted.

"I'll play one face-down and end my turn," Mai finished before Atem drew his next card.

"I summon Gaia the Fierce Knight!" Atem declared as Gaia the Fierce Knight appeared bold and brave. "Attack Harpy Lady!"

"TRAP! MIRROR WALL!" Mai declared as mirrors appeared and Gaia the Fierce Knight attacked his own reflection before his attack points cut in half to 1150.

"Damn! Not bad," Atem smirked. "Somebody's been working on her deck."

"And somebody's not being very careful. I believe it's _my_ turn," Mai smirked before drawing her next card. Atem rolled his eyes on Mai's last comment. He wasn't really sure if it was a spell card or not, since Mai never showed traps on her duel with Joey. "I equip Cyber Bondage with my Harpy Lady and she attacks your Gaia!" Harpy Lady flew up in the air and slashed Gaia the Fierce Knight before Atem was left with 1350 life points. "I believe it's your turn. I hope you don't underestimate me _this time_."

"You know it!" Atem glared before drawing his next card. "I'll play one card face-down, then I summon Summoned Skull. He attacks your..."

"My trap reactivates. It's a permanent trap!" Mai declared as the mirrors appeared again and Summoned Skull's attack was cut in half to 1250.

"_Permanent_ Trap? They have those?" Atem asked awestruck.

"Damn!" Tristan responded.

"That bitch means business!" Bandit Keith laughed mockingly.

"Guess you've never heard of these. I can't blame you, they're _really _rare to find, but Permanent Trap cards can be activated over and over," Mai explained as Atem narrowed his eyebrows even deeper. "So every time you say _'attack,'_ my Mirror Wall will protect my Harpy Lady." She smirked widely and stared at Atem directly in the eyes. "You seem to be a little _pressured_, which I can't blame you seeing that your friend and his brother's half dead and having _revenge_ on your mind."

"Shut the hell up and duel!" Atem shouted with glaring eyes.

"Fine, but I'm just saying that thinking too much is not staying focused on your opponent. You have _other things_ on your mind," Mai smirked as Atem glared deeply. In a sense she was telling the truth, besides focusing on Yugi behind him, Atem was wanting to get his hands on Pegasus. "I suppose I'll be roaming in Paris while you sit by your girlfriend's bedside. At least you'll know that she won't love you _based on beauty_."

"NOT IN YOUR LIFETIME!" Atem shouted as Mai showed a smirk and drew his next card.

"You're right, she _does_ mean business," Joey agreed with Bandit Keith's earlier statement. "And if I agree, then it must be true."

"I'll use my spell card Harpy's Feather Duster!" Mai smirked as a bunch of feathers swept Atem's face-down card.

"SHIT!" Atem responded before banging his fist on the table.

"I'm a _very_ cautious player, Atem. You should follow _my_ example."

"Mai, kiss my f***ing ass," Atem spat before drawing his next card. "I play Fernal Imp in defense."

"No way to attack, so you take the defensive rout. I suppose I don't blame you," Mai shrugged before drawing his next card. "I equip Electro-Whip to Harpy Lady." Atem gasped as he watched Fernal Imp being whacked by Harpy Lady's whip. "And your Fernal Imp turns to dust."

"I play Saiga in defense mode."

"Looks like you're out of options, and here I thought you'd be _a challenge_," Mai mocked as Atem glared even deeper. "I play Harpies' Pet Dragon in attack mode." She smiled in a coo-like manner. "_Isn't he cute?_ And he's perfect for my Harpy Ladies to take care of your Summoned Skull."

Summoned Skull was wiped off the field, luckily it was in defense mode. Atem kept his eyes narrowed as Mai showed a deep smirk. She looked straight into Atem's deep dark eyes filled with intense.

"You remember that _riddle_ you told Joey?" Mai asked as Atem gave her a questionable look. "_What you can show, but can't see?_ You've got _your_ answer, so it's time for you to figure out _mine_."

"WHAT! WHAT KIND OF CRAP ARE YOU PULLING HERE?" Joey shouted in frustration.

Mai kept her smirk, but her eyes narrowed even more. Atem became very nervous. There were different answers to the riddle like blindness, friendship, puzzle, but what _other answers_ were there? He decided to focus on the duel while drawing his next card, which was Dark Magician.

"I lay Dark Magician in defense mode, and then place this card face-down," Atem declared as Mai drew her next card.

"Then I play Shadow of Eyes. This forces your Dark Magician to attack," Mai explained as Dark Magician automatically stood up in attack mode. "Shadow of Eyes effects the hormones to lure your monster into battle. Like how you keep staring at my breasts."

_"Once a bitch, always a bitch,"_ Atem muttered as Mai chuckled mockingly.

"Your Dark Magician attacks Harpy Lady," Mai declared as Dark Magician waved his wand to attack Harpy Lady before a bunch of mirrors appeared in front of him. Dark Magician attack the mirror and its attack points halved. "Now I play Feather Duster." Harpy's Feather Duster activated and a bunch of feathers wiped Atem's face-down from the field. "Now, my dragon shall attack your Dark Magician!" Harpies' Pet Dragon attacked Dark Magician and Atem's life points stooped to 300. "What do you think of my new Harpy combo?"

Atem was so angry and frustrated at himself. He was so sunk to the bottom of the well, it wasn't even funny. Was there _any way_ to defeat Mai's unbeatable Harpy Ladies? Atem realized that Mai had grown stronger since her duel with Joey. It would've been hard to believe that Joey actually _defeated_ this woman. Everyone was staring at the blond with awestruck.

"Atem, com'on! Don't give up!" Hanaski cheered.

"Mai seems like a million times stronger than when she fought against you," Tea said to Joey.

"You're right!" Joey realized in shock. He was starting to wonder if he only won by luck.

"Joey, I know what you're thinking. I played as hard as I could when I dueled against you," Mai admitted as Joey stared at the woman confused. "I was in denial for almost the _entire_ day. I couldn't get over the fact that I lost to an amateur duelist." Everyone stared at Mai with disbelief. "Then, I started_ facing my fears_." Atem gasped, remembering what his grandpa was trying to tell him about _facing his inner self._ "I realized that I was too overconfident and self-centered. It not only affected my dueling, but _myself_ as a person as well." Mai turned to Joey and asked, "why did you win against me?"

"That's easy, because I had my friends with me. That's why an amateur like me got this far," Joey replied in a glare.

"Exactly, you _were_ an amateur and realized that. You're not just an amateur at dueling, _but as a person._ You're not always sure of yourself and you realizing this, so you were strong enough to fix it and become a very strong person," Mai pointed out as Joey rose two eyebrows, realizing what she was pointing out.

_'She's right,'_ Atem muttered inside his mind while staring at the field. _'I... I think I know what Grandpa was trying to tell me. As a duelist, I have weaknesses and not just that, but as a person. I can never stoop down to a person's level, that's why I was mad at Seto after he won our duel. I'm prideful and overconfident.'_ Yugi heard this from his brother as he saw those dark eyes stare at his bright ones. _'You have been making up for my weaknesses and I was too prideful to admit it and face it.'_

_"Brother, I've always helped you in more ways than one. If you need help, I'm always here,"_ Yugi said as Atem smiled and reached over to his hand and took his brother's hand.

Mai raised two eyebrows, seeing Atem reach for something _invisible_. He smiled and touched the deck with the tip of his fingers to draw his next card. Atem said, "I think I know your answer. _Weakness_ is something a person can show, but not see." Everyone rose their eyebrows as Mai smiled and nodded. "Yugi also has an answer himself. It's _himself_. I can show Yugi, but you can't see him. _We fight together._" He looked at his card. "I play Brain Control." Mai gasped.

_"Control the dragon,"_ Yugi suggested.

"I use this to control Harpies' Pet Dragon," Atem declared before taking another card. "Then, I place one card face-down before summoning Catapult Turtle!" Catapult Turtle appeared and Harpies' Pet Dragon was on the turtle to be launched. "CATAPULT TURTLE LAUNCH ONTO MIRROR WALL! THREE... TWO... ONE... _LIFT OOOOOOOFFFFFFFFF!_" Harpies' Pet Dragon launched right on Mirror Wall and it shattered into pieces. "And I didn't just launch your monster to take out your Mirror Wall. When destroying your dragon, it takes quite a bit of damage off your life points."

"What?" Mai gasped as her life points stooped to 850.

"NICE ATEM!" Joey cheered.

"He looks different from before. I wonder if it's what Mai said," Hanaski wondered.

"What do you mean?" Tristan asked in confusion.

"Well, Mai does have a point. I mean even I used to be afraid over _everything_, even facing fears. That's why I have Yugi with me, he helps me face my fears and I think he helps Atem as well."

"Huh," Joey smirked with crossed arms.

Mai glanced at Atem with suspicion. Yugi was behind his brother with a confident smile. Atem held a gaming smirk and a tempting glance for Mai to attack. She knew she had to be cautious, so she drew her next card and played a spell card.

"I won't attack, but _I will_ play Kaleidoscope," Mai declared as two more Harpy Ladies appeared by her original. "With that I end my turn."

"That's too bad. I would've lost if you'd have attacked," Atem admitted as Mai's eyes widened. "My face-down card is Monster Recovery, this lets me refresh my hand."

Atem placed all his cards into his deck and shuffled it before drawing five new cards. He showed a devious smirk while peering at his cards. Mai had to admit, the way Atem showed his _piercing eyes_ convinced the blond woman not to attack. Atem _knew_ this would fool Mai. Yugi showed a smirk and his idea of how to defeat Mai to Atem. He agreed with that idea.

"I play my Mystical Elf in defense mode!" Atem declared as Mystical Elf appeared in a defensive position.

"But how? My Shadow of..." Mai asked baffled until she realized the spell card's _weakness_._ "Oh."_

"That's right. Your Shadow of Eyes only works based on _hormones_, so it works on the opposite sex. In other words, I maybe tempted on staring at your breasts, but Tea isn't... _unless she's a lesbian_."

"NICE ONE, ATEM!" Hanaski cheered.

"Geez, you're annoying!" Mai glared in annoyance. She drew her next card. "But I can still crack ya open. I play Monster Reborn to bring back Harpies' Pet Dragon." Harpies' Pet Dragon appeared once again and a confident smile appeared on Mai's smirk. "And now it's even stronger. HARPY SISTERS, ATTACK!" The Harpy Ladies created a triangle and blasted Mystical Elf. Luckily, it was in defense mode.

Atem glared and stared at his deck. He knew that he had to risk _everything_ in this one draw, a huge gamble. If not, then everything that Atem worked for would crumble. Yugi smiled and placed Atem's hand on the deck to draw a new card. Atem drew his new card as Mai was blabbering about what she would do with the grand sum of the money she'd win. Then, in front of the woman's eyes, she saw shining swords surrounding her Harpy Sisters.

"I play Swords of Revealing Light! This traps your Harpy Ladies for three turns," Atem smirked as Mai glared at her opponent in annoyance.

"Very well, a little wait. I can do that."

_"Alright, we still have a chance!"_ Yugi grinned excitedly. _"We just need to draw _the right card_."_

_'I'll play this card for now,'_ Atem told his brother as he grinned in excitement. "I play Kuriboh in attack mode."

Mai couldn't contain herself from bursting out in laughter. She mocked, "_well isn't he adorable? Look at him, so _anxious_ to fight from my Shadow of Eyes._ What the hell were you thinking?"

"Out of thousands of cards, Yugi and I chose this... _mostly Yugi._ The point is I _believe_ in this monster!" Atem declared with boldness and confidence.

"Very well. I don't understand why you put such a wimpy monster like him in your deck, but _hey_, it's your call. I'll just end you and be done with it!"

Atem drew his next card, hoping it was the _key card_ he needed. Unfortunately, it was Polymerization. That wasn't going to help him one bit. He decided to play his other monster for now.

"I play Monster Reborn to summon back Gaia the Fierce Knight!" Atem declared as Gaia appeared boldly on his horse. "I end my turn."

Mai drew her next card, which was another Harpy Lady. She decided to save it after she took down Atem's _worthless_ monsters. It would be one more turn for Atem to play before he was ambushed by Harpy Ladies. He knew that _this_ would be the last chance he got. Yugi trusted in his brother and Atem trusted in him. Their trust in each other activated the power of the millennium puzzle.

Pegasus saw it with his millennium eye and Ryan sensed it from the other room. Yugi and Atem used their combined trust in each other to draw out the card _they wanted._ Automatically, Atem drew out the exact card he and Yugi wanted as a smirk appeared on his face.

"I place one card face-down, then I play Griffor before ending my turn," Atem declared as Mai stared at her opponent with bafflement written on her face. What was Atem thinking by playing these _weak_ monsters?

Mai drew her next card and ended her turn before saying, "ok, let's see what your _three little monsters_ did?"

"Oh _you'll see_, when I play Black Luster Ritual!" Atem declared as a stand with two pots and swords crossing in between the pots appeared. Kuriboh was on the left pot, Griffor was on the right pot, and Gaia the Fierce Knight was placed in between. "These will be used as my sacrifices." Mai gasped, realizing _why_ Atem played such weak monsters, _he was going to summon a monster._ Gaia the Fierce Knight galloped into the portal created in place of the ritual. After galloping inside, out of the portal came a brave and bold knight with a purple and gold shining armor. "BEHOLD! BLACK LUSTER SOLDIER!"

_"Black Luster Soldier?"_ Tristan gasped.

"Damn!" Joey responded.

"BLACK LUSTER SOLDIER! ATTACK MAI'S DRAGON!" Atem declared as Black Luster Soldier attacked and destroyed Harpies' Pet Dragon and left Mai with 750 life points.

Mai looked at her Harpy Lady card she drew earlier. If she had played this card, she wouldn't have lost her dragon. Mai knew deep in her heart that _this_ was the end for her. On Atem's next turn, Black Luster Soldier would attack one of Mai's Harpy Ladies and her life points would hit 0. Instead of watching her soul card suffer anymore, Mai placed her hand over her deck as _a sign of surrender_. Everyone gasped in pure shock.

"I don't want to injure my Harpies any longer," Mai said before she stood up from the seat and walked on her way out the Duel Box. While walking out the door, she felt a gentle hand on her shoulder.

Mai turned and looked at Atem's deep dark eyes with a soft smile on his lips as he said,_ "thank you."_

"Atem, there's no such think as an _invincible duelist_. Every person has a weakness: your rich friend, your best friend, and even the rich mind reader over there," Mai said, darting her eyes at Pegasus. "And there are two ways you can face that weakness: you can let it tare you down or be a step to making you a stronger duelist and _a stronger person._ Pegasus looks tough, no doubt about it, but he _covers up_ his weaknesses and looks into _his opponents' weaknesses_. That is how he wins his duels... _that's_ how Kaiba lost."

"Pegasus could see Seto's weakness for Mokuba _and me_."

"But you have the advantage of our duel to realize that. That's another reason why I wanted to duel you. I wanted you to realize that unless you face your own weaknesses, you're no match for Pegasus."

Atem smirked and nodded before him and Mai shook hands, then hugged. They exited from the Duel Box and Mai left the room to pack her stuff. That duel Atem and Mai had would never be forgotten. Atem knew he needed Yugi's help to defeat Pegasus now more than ever. It'd take more than teamwork, it'd also take confidence that not even _Atem_ knew he had. The next duel would be Joey and Bandit Keith, but Atem was ready for _anything_.


	18. Rise of the Machines

**Here's the next chapter. This is when Joey duels against Bandit Keith. This is gonna be fun. MUHAHAHAHAHAHA! Anyways, I have a poll out and I need participants, so I can decide what my next story will be. Review please!**

Atem joined with his other friends while Joey walked on his way to the Duel Box where Bandit Keith and him would duel at. Joey was pumped and ready to settle the score with Bandit Keith once and for all. After all, he did trap Joey and his friends inside the cave. Joey furrowed his eyebrows and glared deeply at Bandit Keith, who sat on his seat with his feet on the game board. This irritated Joey alot.

"HEY! GET YOUR DAMN FEET OFF THE BOARD!" Joey yelled.

"If you lick the soles of my feet, I'll admit defeat," Bandit Keith smirked, which irritated Joey even more.

"For the last time, get your damn feet off the board!"

_"Pff,"_ Bandit Keith blew through his teeth before removing his feet off the table. "Whatev. I'm still gonna kick your ass."

"You know, if Joey wasn't going against you, I'd be kicking your ass with my fist. I won't let anyone insult a duelist's battlefield," Atem glared before Bandit Keith flipped him off with his finger. "Back at cha, bitch!"

"Will the duelists please show their cards of qualification?" Pegasus' employer announced as Bandit Keith and Joey showed their cards. Pegasus smiled widely in amusement. "Duelists, shuffle your decks!"

Bandit Keith and Joey shuffled their decks before returning them to each other. Then, they drew five cards with eyes darting at each other. Joey was ready to kick Bandit Keith's butt.

"I'll go first," Bandit Keith smirked before drawing his first card. "I summon Pendulum Machine in defense mode." Pendulum Machine appeared in a defensive position. "It's time for me to kick your f***ing ass back to Japan!"

"Dude, we ARE in Japan," Joey smirked as everyone else laughed.

"WHATEVER! YOU GET WHAT I MEAN YOU F***ING BITCH!"

_"Sure,"_ Joey smirked. "To me, you just look like some sore loser."

"I'll show you, _sore loser_!" Bandit Keith shouted. "I end my turn."

Joey drew his next card before declaring, "I play Kung Fu Ultimator in defense mode."

"What a joke!" Bandit Keith smirked, changing his monster to attack mode. "Destroy that joke for a monster!" Pendulum Machine grabbed Kung Fu Ultimator and sliced it in half.

"My turn!" Joey said before drawing his next card. "I summon Giltia the Dark Knight. Say goodbye to your Pendulum!"

Giltia the Dark Knight ran up toward Pendulum Machine and shot a huge blast from its wand before that blast disappeared when it touched the machine. Joey gasped dumbfoundedly as Bandit Keith gawked up laughing mockingly.

"Magic won't work against my machine monsters. They're equipped with anti magic armor!"

"SHIT!"

"I believe it's my turn," Bandit Keith smirked before drawing his next card. "I place Launcher Spider in attack mode and kill off your monster!" Launcher Spider aimed its rockets at Giltia the Dark Knight and shot straight on. The monster was destroyed and Joey was left with 1650 life points. "You're no match for me, you little shit ass!"

Joey started sweating nervously before drawing his next card. He peered over them, trying to think of a way to counterattack. He glared furiously at Bandit Keith before choosing his next attack.

"I play Axe Raider in defense mode," Joey declared as his Axe Raider appeared in a defensive position. "Then place one card face-down and end my turn."

"What kind of a f***ing monster is _that_? I'm surprised you _got_ this far! You're pathetic!" Bandit Keith mocked before drawing his next card. "I play Devilzoa in defense mode!" Devilzoa appeared in a defensive position looking all buff and strong. "Then place one card face-down, like you. Your turn, f***ing ass!"

Joey drew his next card, then summoned a monster, saying, "I play Flamed Swordsman in attack mode and use the spell card Salamandra and boost its attack!" Flamed Swordsman's attack rose to 2500 attack. "Flamed Swordsman, _sick em!_" Flamed Swordsman jumped in the air, about to attack Devilzoa.

"Idiot!" Bandit Keith smirked before revealing his trap card. "Metalmorph!" Flamed Swordsman fired with its flamed sword at Devilzoa and it bounced off of it. "This bounces your attack back at you!"

"Holy shit on a sandwich!" Joey responded as his Flamed Swordsman was destroyed by his own attack and Joey's life points stooped down to 1150. Bandit Keith laughed even louder mockingly.

"You really _are_ a moron! You can't even call yourself a duelist!" Bandit Keith mocked before drawing his next card. "HA! You're _dead meat_." Joey gasped before Bandit Keith played a spell card. "I played Stop Defense! This forces your monster to attack mode!" Axe Raider automatically changed to an attack position. Everyone gasped as Bandit Keith gawked up laughing before his monster Devilzoa disappeared. "WHAT THE F***! WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED TO MY MONSTER?"

_"Ta daaa!"_ Joey grinned, showing his trap that was face-down. "Chasm of Spikes destroys your monster when it attacks! You also lose some life points!"

"YOU SON OF A BITCH!" Bandit Keith cursed before his life points stooped to 1250.

"As I said, sore loser."

"SHUT THE F*** UP, BASTERD!"

"You're doing great, Joey!" Atem cried aloud as Joey grinned with a thumbs up.

"He really is. You think he can beat Bandit Kieth?" Tea asked.

"Dueling has a rhythm. If Joey can figure out this _rhythm_, he just might. I have faith in Joey. He's a strong duelist," Atem said while eying at the duel.

"Now, I place one card face-down, but be careful, _it's a trap_," Joey smirked mockingly as Bandit Keith growled in annoyance. "I'll then put Axe Warrior in defense mode." Axe Warrior changed into a defense position. "Now to summon out Garoozis. Attack Pendulum Machine!" Garoozis slashed its ax across Pendulum Machine and Bandit Keith's life points changed to 1200.

"You're dead, Wheeler!" Bandit Keith spat before drawing his next card. "My turn! Launcher Spider attacks Garoozis!" Launcher Spider shot its bullets at Garoozis for the kill before the monster disappeared. "WHAT NOW?"

"TRAP! KUNAI WITH CHAIN!" Joey smirked as he showed his trap card. Garoozis hung onto the chain of the anchor like a rope. It then swung its ax an sliced Launcher Spider and Bandit Keith was left with 1100 life points. "I told ya it was a trap card."

"You son of a bitch, you _tricked_ me!"

"What's the matter, _the American Champ afraid he's gonna get his butt kicked by an amateur?_" Atem mocked with a huge smirk. "Don't feel bad. Even Seto lost to me and I was nothing more than a school boy."

"SHUT THE F*** UP, YOU F***ING LEPERCON!" Bandit Keith yelled as Atem glared deeply.

"JOEY! BEAT THIS GUY'S ASS!" Atem cried to his friend with anger.

"Let me ask you something, kid. Have you risked your life before?" Bandit Keith smirked in a sickly way. He shaped his right hand like a gun and pointed it to his head. "Have you seen _hell_?" Joey kept his serious glare as Bandit Keith continued. "It doesn't matter who you kill as long as you can save your own skin. _That's hell_ and the only way out is through Pegasus!"

"You're sad, you know!" Joey glared as Bandit Keith glared grimly. "I mean Pegasus beat ya, even though he cheats, and you solve your problems by killing, stealing, and _cheating_? You're a psycho!"

"I lost to Pegasus, because of _his_ cheating," Atem admitted with crossed arms. "But our purpose being here is different from yours. You're here for revenge and _we're_ here to save our loved ones."

"What's your f***ing point?" Bandit Keith asked angrily.

"You're nothing, but a sore ass loser who cares nothing, but _himself_. At least Seto Kaiba has other people he cares about than himself."

"I swear, Moto, after I finish with your friend, I'm killing _you_ next!" Bandit Keith glared before placing one face-down card on the board. "I place one face-down card, and then attack with Barrel Dragon!" Barrel Dragon was summoned in attack mode. "This thing also spins, so I have a 50-50 chance in getting my target right." Barrel Dragon's barrels spun around and around.

"Shit! This is like russian roulette!" Tristan responded.

"Now, we're talking!" Atem smirked excitedly as Tea responded by slapping her face.

_"Boys,"_ Tea muttered.

The barrels kept spinning and spinning, then slowing down until they stopped. As soon as they stopped, the three guns started shooting and destroyed all three of Joey's monsters. Joey gasped in fear while sweat poured down his face. His life points were now 850. Those guns were massive and strong. Joey knew that those guns would be reloaded in Bandit Keith's next turn and wipe away the rest of his life points.

Joey smirked as soon as he drew his next card. He said, "so, you wanna play it _that way_. I'll take your challenge." He summoned out Time Wizard as Bandit Keith's eyes widened. "Not only that, but I'll play Baby Dragon in attack mode!" Baby Dragon appeared in attack mode. Joey smirked and shouted, "TIME ROULETTE GO!"

Time Wizard waved its staff and the arrow on the top of the staff spun around and around. It evenually slowed down and creepily landed on the white part before a time vortex appeared. Baby Dragon changed to Thousand Dragon and Bandit Keith's dragon just turned to rust. Joey smirked widely at this site.

"ALRIGHT! NOW _SICK 'EM!_" Joey shouted triumphantly as Thousand Dragon shot fireballs at Barrel Dragon and destroyed Barrel Dragon, but not before Bandit Keith revealed a trap card.

"Not so fast! I reveal Time Machine!" Bandit Keith declared as he showed his trap card. Joey gasped as a giant metal cylinder appeared from the board and opened its door. There, through the door, appeared Barrel Dragon as if it was _never destroyed_. "When my monster is destroyed, I can bring it back from the last turn ago! Now, to destroy your dragon!" Barrel Dragon turned its barrels again and started shooting its bullets as soon as the barrels stopped. The machine destroyed Thousand Dragon and Joey's life points were now 650. "Your lousy deck is no match for my machine deck. You don't even _have_ a stratagy. You just move as you go! You're nothing, but a freakin' amateur!"

"I play Kojikocy in defense mode," Joey muttered, at the brick of defeat. There seemed to be nothing he could do to beat Bandit Keith. He was a strong opponent. Stronger than any other opponent Joey had ever faced.

Bandit Keith used his turn to wipe out Joey's defensive monster. He then declared, "now, I summon Slot Machine in defense mode!" A slot machine monster appeared on the field and Joey just stared at the Barrel Dragon and Slot Machine with defeat written on his face. He was about to be mowed down and he knew it. What was there to do? "Ready to give up, you f***ing moron? Well too bad! I'm gonna kill ya to ya grave!"

Joey seemed to be staring blankly at his cards as he noticed one of his cards beginning to glow. It was Red-Eyes Black Dragon, which he drew last turn ago.

_"Joseph, don't give up! Keep fighting!"_ Damon cried out as Joey narrowed his eyes and nodded his head.

"I place Space Megatron in defense mode. Your turn!" Bandit Keith smirked as Joey drew his next card.

"I'll place one card face-down," Joey declared before staring at Red-Eyes Black Dragon with a smirk. "Then, I summon out my Red-Eyes!" Red-Eyes Black Dragon appeared boldly and ready to fight. _'Don't worry, I got a plan, Damon.'_

"Then it's time for me to blast your dragon away!" Bandit Keith smirked before his Barrel Dragon blasted its attack directly at Red-Eyes Black Dragon.

_"JOSEPH! PLEASE TELL ME YOU HAVE A PLAN!"_ Damon cried as the dragon turned his head toward Joey, who held a smirk in reply.

"I'll activate my spell card Copycat!" Joey smirked as he showed his spell card to Bandit Keith and he gasped in shock.

"WHAT?" Bandit Keith widened in shock.

"You heard me!" Joey smirked with a dark chuckle. "I'm gonna copy your Metalmorph and equip it to good ol' Red-Eyes!"

Red-Eyes Black Dragon was equipped with metal armor. Bandit Keith watched in pure horror as Joey grew his smirk wider and a dark chuckle escaped his lips. The dragon seemed to be eying his new armor outlook before looking back at Joey.

_"Nice,"_ Damon smirked. _"Now let's sick this guy!"_

"Red-Eyes, do your stuff!" Joey ordered as Red-Eyes Black dragon soared into the sky and fired his red fireballs at Barrel Dragon. "Send that thing to hell!"

"YOU SON OF A BITCH!" Bandit Keith yelled in annoyance. Joey's friends all laughed together. This made the American more annoyed.

"You know, I maybe _an amateur_ and I may not have any strategy, but I can still put the hurt on ya!" Joey glared as Bandit Keith smirked and laughed mockingly.

"SHUT THE HELL UP! IT'S _SKILL_ THAT DETERMINS THE WINNER OF THIS DUEL!" Bandit Keith replied before drawing his next card. "I play another face-down card and that's all, for now!"

"Then, I'll play one face-down card!" Joey declared as he place a card face-down. "Then, I attack your Slot Machine!"

"Not so fast! I use the spell card 7 Complete and rise Slot Machine's defense!"

A number 7 appeared on Slot Machine in the very middle. Its defense points rose to 3000 while Red-Eyes Black Dragon attacked and Joey's life points slipped down to 450. Joey cringed with sweat shown on his face.

_"Careful Joseph, you can't attack without thinking!"_ Damon warned as Joey gave a nod. Bandit Keith smirked widely while drawing his next card. Though, what Joey never caught was the fact Bandit Keith took a card from under his wrist where his wristband was located. Red-Eyes Black Dragon glared even deeper. Damon had caught Bandit Keith _cheating_. _"Watch out, little brother. This jerk is playing _dirty_. Be on your guard."_

_'Oh crud. That cheat!'_ Joey glared in his mind.

"And look what I got!" Bandit Keith smirked, showing the spell card. "A 7 Complete card that rises my Slot Machine's attack points." Slot Machine's attack was risen to 2700. "Now to play another card, Blast Sphere." Blast Sphere appeared on Bandit Keith's field before attaching itself to Red-Eyes Black Dragon.

"DAMON!" Joey cried in worry.

"What's it with you stupid duelists and _nicknaming_ your ace monsters?" Bandit Keith mocked. "Your Red-Eyes is history in your next turn, f***ing ass!"

Joey panicked and stared longingly at his dragon as he stared at the blond boy back. Joey narrowed his eyes. He refused to let Damon go like this. Joey stared at his deck and grabbed the card from the top of his deck. He prayed in his heart that his next draw would help him win this duel. He had to win for his sister, for his friends... _for Damon._ Joey peered at his card and his eyes widened.

"Time's up, bitch!" Bandit Keith smirked excitedly as the bomb blew up and he gawked up laughing. When the smoke disappeared, Red-Eyes Black Dragon appeared through the smoke. "WHAT!"

"That was too close," Joey sighed in relief, revealing his spell card Dragon Nails, which increased his dragon's attack points by 600. Bandit Keith glared with huge annoyance as his life points decreased to 400.

_"Thanks, I owe ya one,"_ Damon thanked Joey as the dragon showed a small smile.

"I'll show ya!" Bandit Keith glared as he drew his next card, which was from under his wrist again. "Look! Another 7 Complete spell card!" He showed the spell card and Slot Machine's attack points rose to 3400 attack. To Joey's relief, the monsters shared the same attack, but the blond still feared for Damon. Bandit Keith smirked and chuckled very darkly. "I hope you don't think you can beat me, because I have _this_..." He showed his spell card Pillager. "Pillager lets me take a look at your hand and select one card as mine."

"WHAT!" Joey gasped with fear on his face as he hesitantly showed his hand._ 'Oh crud.'_

"Huh, I'll choose Shield and Sword. Say, didn't you use this to beat Bones?" Bandit Keith said as Joey turned pale. "Now, I'll use this card and switch our attack and defense points." Joey watched in horror as Red-Eyes Black Dragon's attack changed to 2400 while Slot Machine's attack switched to 3000. "ATTACK!"

"I play Graverobber!" Joey blurted out as he revealed his face-down card and thought of a quick plan.

"IT DOESN'T MATTER!" Bandit Keith shouted victoriously as his monster continued its onslaught. "YOUR F***ING DRAGON IS DEAD!" He kept gawking up in laughter as Joey continued his play. Graverobber showed with Bandit Keith's card, which stood in front of the American after he opened his eyes from all the laughter. "WHAT THE F***?"

"I hate _stealing_, but you're a thief anyways, so it doesn't matter to me," Joey smirked. Graverobber gave Joey the Time Magician card and he used it on Red-Eyes Black Dragon. "Now get back up, Red-Eyes!" Red-Eyes Black Dragon appeared again through the Time Machine.

_"I knew you'd come and save me,"_ Damon said._ "Thank you. Now, let me finish this bastard!"_

"My dragon's back and in full strength before you used my damn spell card. He's also not happy that you _cheated_!" Joey glared as Bandit Keith's eyes widened.

"HE _CHEATED_?" Atem glared furiously. "KILL HIS ASS, JOEY!"

_"Gladly,"_ Joey smirked. "Red-Eyes, kill this bastard!"

_"THIS IS FOR F***ING WITH MY BROTHER!"_ Damon shouted before Red-Eyes Black Dragon blew a huge ball of fire at Slot Machine, wiping the rest of Bandit Keith's life points.

"JOEY, YOU DID IT!" Atem shouted gloriously.

"And the winner is... _Joey Wheeler_!" Pegasus' Employer announced as Joey jumped in the air with his fist pumped up in the air.

"ALRIGHT! I WON!" Joey shouted victoriously.

Atem and Tea ran to Joey and gave him a group hug. Joey felt joyful that he won the duel against Bandit Keith. He knew deep in his heart that he couldn't have made it this far without his friends and without Damon. Now, Joey and Atem were the two finalists and nobody was going to stop them from winning the prize. It never mattered who would win, Pegasus was within their grasp. Joey felt hope inside his heart.

Bandit Keith felt so angry and horrified that he lost to Joey Wheeler. He had to get to Pegasus and settle the score with him with everything he had. Now, the only way to do that, was to _force_ the situation. It was a good thing Bandit Keith came _prepared_ just in case things didn't go as planned. Pegasus could see this and held a smirk as Bandit Keith left the area.

"Thanks guys," Joey thanked in the group hug.

"Red-Eyes is _truly_ your soul card," Atem said while looking at Joey's deck with a smile.

"He sure is," Joey said proudly while staring at his Red-Eyes Black Dragon card.

"I guess it's now you two right?" Tea asked.

"I'm afraid not," Pegasus declared with crossed arms and a half smile.

"WAD ARE YA SAYIN'?" Joey asked damandingly.

"You're disqualified for illegal participation of the tournament," Pegasus replied as Joey's eyes glared even deeper.

"_WHAT?_ THIS IS UNFAIR! YOU EXPECT ME TO GET THIS FAR, AND THEN DITCH MY DUEL WITH ATEM?"

"You're right, I _did_ let you go against Bandit Keith, because he _never_ played fair either. I like a good duel and I was curious to watch two cheaters play against each other."

Joey glared and growled in annoyance seething, "you son of a bitch."

"Now, now, now, you had fun, _right?_ Isn't that all it matters?" Pegasus chuckled mockingly. "Besides, I'm sure you can trust Atem that he will carry out the same fight. After all, he is winning the money for your sister's operation, isn't he?"

"GET YOUR F***ING NOSE OUT OF MY MIND!" Joey shouted.

"Sorry, I just can't help myself," Pegasus grinned with a dark chuckle that left his mouth. He sat up from his chair and walked over in front of Atem. "I'll be dueling against you, Atem-boy. Well done!"

"Kiss my f***ing ass," Atem muttered with his fists on his hips.

"I can sense your fighting spirit, Atem-boy. I haven't felt this pumped in a long time."

"Because you want to fight or because you want Seto's key?"

"Ah, the key, of course. There's also _that_."

"I know your men have been trying to search for that key. Especially, using the time of me being here to search my house or when Ryan and I delt with your _friends_ in the basement to search my room."

"You are a smart one."

"But the funny thing is, you haven't bothered _reading my mind_. I'm an open book, after all."

"Indeed," Pegasus smirked. He suspected Atem was up to something, but he couldnt' tell what. The billionaire used his millennium eye to search through Atem's mind to find the location of the second key. Atem smirked, seemingly not trying to hold back and keeping crossed arms. The billionaire's casual smile, then turned into a deep frown. Atem smirked widely and evilly.

"I told ya I would protect the key with my life. I _meant it_, Pegasus. If you want me, you're gonna have to kill me... _or rape me_ at least," Atem responded as Pegasus glared in pure annoyance. He could not believe Atem would _think of this_. Getting the key would be more difficult than Pegasus thought.

Pegasus walked down the hallway, outside of the game area. He was on his way to retrieve his deck to play against Atem to get that key. Pegasus had two guards behind him, but _that_ wasn't on his mind. What _was_ on his mind was the event that would soon take place in only a few seconds.

Bandit Keith smirked so deviously and sickly while carrying a knife in his left hand. Pegasus stared at Bandit Keith with no emotion written on his face. The two guards were about to attack until Pegasus stopped them. He didn't want his employers getting hurt, especially by this _psycho maniac_.

"I demand you give me that f***ing prize now!" Bandit Keith threatened with a deadly smirk, walking around like a drunkard.

"Huh, the old prize king. It's hard to see him like this," Pegasus said while shaking his head in a disappointment mock. "It's no wonder you lost to some boy who's never played a tournament before this one."

"YOU SHUT YOUR F***ING MOUTH UP!" Bandit Keith shouted before grabbing Pegasus from the back and sticking the knife close to the neck. "NOW GIVE ME THE MONEY OR _YOU'RE DEAD!_"

The guards were about to wield their guns before Pegasus' eye glowed and stared at Bandit Keith, saying, "it seems you lost your mind when I fought against you in America." The glow from the eye grew brighter. _"PENALTY GAME!"_

_"AHHHHH!"_ Bandit Keith screamed while dropping the knife and Pegasus walking out of his clutches. Bandit Keith shaped his finger like a gun and then a bang was heard like a gun shot. Bandit Keith dropped dead to the floor with blood gushing everywhere from his head.

"Now, onto _better things_. Make sure that gets cleaned up," Pegasus ordered as the guards rushed to get the cleaning supplies to clean up the bloody mess.


	19. Do the Impossible

**And that's the end of Bandit Keith. Now it's time for the final duel. Pegasus verses Atem/Yugi. This duel mind shuffle will be done differently due to keeping Atem in character. This duel is going to be pretty long and the beginning has a lot of stuff going on. So, I'm gonna have to split this into two different chapters. Review please!**

Pegasus left out of the gaming area to retrieve his deck. Atem knew that this was a perfect time to talk to Yugi about their plan to defeat Pegasus. They had taken turns dueling against other duelists. There were their wins and loses, but they made it to the final round. Three souls were on the line, including Serenity's operation.

Yugi's spirit appeared next to Atem, thinking of what their plan would be to defeat Pegasus. They theorized, before arriving at Duelist Kingdom, that Pegasus' weakness was the ability to read _one mind_ at a time. It was possible for them to switch minds when Pegasus tried to read one's mind. Though, there was still the possibility of that not lasting _forever_.

_"We need to find another weakness, brother,"_ Yugi said.

_'That's the problem. We can only find _one_ weakness. There's also the question of how Pegasus can _read_ one of our minds. Shadi did it by entering one of our soul rooms, he could also control a person like what Ryan's evil spirit did to Ryou,'_ Atem explained.

_"_You're right!_ Maybe that's what Pegasus does. He can only see into _a person's soul room_. That's why he can only read one person's mind at a time. Somehow his eye can barge inside someone's soul room!"_

_'That's possible. With millennium items, a person can enter the mind of another. Like you can enter my soul room, Shadi can enter others' soul rooms, and Ryan's evil spirit entered his brother's soul room. Though, the weakness is the same, we can only enter one mind at a time. Shadi was able to enter my soul room, but he couldn't enter both our soul rooms.'_

_"With Pegasus' millennium eye, he seems _unstoppable,_ just like Shadi. Though, Shadi only used his millennium item to judge others while Pegasus is using his to gain power. If we are to win this game, we need to find another _spot of weakness_ besides changing minds."_

_'What are you planning on doing?'_

_"I'm gonna guard your soul room and find Pegasus' weakness. If I could stop Shadi, I might stop Pegasus."_

_'Yugi, guarding my soul room might not be enough.'_

_"It's worth a try and I might be able to find a weakness, if it doesn't work."_

_'There's also the disadvantage that Pegasus will know what you're doing.'_

_"_Buuuuuuut_, he'll only _know_ if my plan doesn't work. Then, he won't be able to read _my_ mind if I try to come up with a plan. When I find a weakness, I'll let you know."_

_'Very well. Just be careful.'_

_"Good luck, brother. I'll be rooting for ya!"_

Yugi transferred himself into his soul room, which he rarely did. He exited out through the door of his soul room and entered a hall gap that separated the two soul rooms. Yugi made sure that his brother's soul room door was _closed_. He was going to have to prepare for _anything_ that came his way.

"I'll find a way to help you beat Pegasus, I promise," Yugi vowed.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, Atem joined in with his friends as they all wished him luck. While doing this, Ryan happened to have walked into the gaming area along with Mai Valentine, who had just finished packing. Everyone turned their heads and noticed this with questionable looks.<p>

"Ryan, why are _you_ here? I thought you were supposed to watch over Seto and Mokuba," Joey said.

"I was getting bored, so I decided to make sure that I could watch Atem kick ass while having those two soulless asses are safe," Ryan replied with a devilish smirk.

"What'd you _do_?" Hanaski asked as Ryan's smirk grew wider.

* * *

><p>In the dungeon, each cell held several guards who worked for Pegasus. They all seemed soulless, nothing <em>but a shell.<em> In the middle of the walkway were avatar pieces to _Monster World_. Each of them were moving and screaming like little chipmunks.

_"Help us! Help us!"_ One little avatar screamed.

_"It's no use. We've been turned into dolls,"_ the other avatar said.

* * *

><p>At the gaming area, Ryan replied, "had a little <em>fun<em>, let's just say."

"Well, I'm just glad you could come," Atem said with his small smile.

"Like _I'd_ want to miss this. Dueling isn't the only thing I like, I also like watching tournaments," Mai smirked.

"This duel won't be easy. Pegasus can read minds, so he'll _know_ my cards."

"I know you and Yugi can win!" Hanaski grinned excitedly before giving Atem a warm hug.

"I know too," Atem replied before all his friends hugged around him.

"Go kick some ass," Joey cheered.

"Now isn't this sweet," Pegasus grinned widely as everyone separated themselves from the hug and Atem shot daggers at the billionaire. "Are you ready, Atem?"

"Before we start, I want to make sure we're clear. If I win, you free my grandpa's soul and the soul of the Kaiba brothers!" Atem demanded boldly.

"As promised," Pegasus promised with a nod. "But you must live up to _your_ end of the bargain. The card you have in your pocket, the Honor of the Left Hand. You notice it's a blank, but if _I_ win, a _picture_ will appear."

Atem smirked and replied, "_Figures._ I knew when coming on this island that you'd seal the _loser's_ soul into the blank card."

"WHAT?" Everyone responded.

"You mean if Atem loses, _his soul_ will be sealed in that card?" Hanaski asked in shock.

"And not just him," Pegasus smirked as he showed an extra blank card. "I also saved one for his little _roommate_."

_"Figures,"_ Atem smirked while rolling his eyes. "You'd do _anything_ to get that key."

"Key?" Mai questioned.

"Atem holds the key to Kaiba Corporation," Tea explained.

"Holy shit!" Mai responded.

"I guess he's so desperate, he's willing to rape his body," Ryan smirked with crossed arms as Pegasus' head turned red in anger.

Atem chuckled at Ryan's comment before saying, "I hate to burst your bubble, but I don't plan on being part of your _card collection_, fagot."

"Let's just get this duel on, shall we?" Pegasus glared with frustration.

"Good," Atem replied with a glare. Him and Pegasus entered the Duel Box, then shuffled their decks.

Atem was willing to beat Pegasus with everything he had. Pegasus felt extreme confidence in winning the duel since he could use his millennium eye to read people's minds. The only issue was _Yugi_, but Pegasus was prepared for that just in case Atem tried to pull the same stunt as last time.

"An extra rule added is that you mustn't have your eyes closed during our duel," Pegasus added as Atem smirked wider.

"Very well, I'll accept that rule and I'll still beat you with my cards," Atem agreed with confidence. He went first and drew his first card. "I'll place one card face-down, then summon my Beaver Warrior in defense mode." Beaver Warrior appeared in a defense position. Pegasus smirked and his eye gave off a tent glow.

* * *

><p>Inside the hall to the mind rooms, Yugi noticed a glowing light appearing. He gasped when he saw the Eye of Horus zooming through the hall, sweeping through Yugi, and right into Atem's soul room. Yugi gasped at the fact that the door was wide open and not <em>closed<em>. It was as if this eye automatically _opened the door_.

"BROTHER! WATCH OUT!" Yugi cried from the hall.

* * *

><p>At the duel, Atem heard his brother's warning. He knew right off the bat that Pegasus had just read his mind. He smirked deviously before drawing his card.<p>

"I place one card face-down, then I play Red Archery Girl in defense mode," Pegasus declared as Red Archery Girl appeared as a mermaid inside a clam in a defense position with a bow and arrow on her back like Robin Hood. "Your turn."

Atem drew his next card, then said, "I change Beaver Warrior to attack mode, then equip Horn of the Unicorn. My monster will attack Archery Girl!"

"TRAP! TEARS OF A MERMAID!" Pegasus cried as Atem glared, watching Beaver Warrior trapped helplessly inside a bubble of water while being shocked by electricity. "Now Red Archery Girl, turn this rodent into road kill!" Red Archery Girl aimed her bow and arrow, then shot Beaver Warrior before it burst into pieces and Atem's life points dropped to 1800.

"THAT CHEATING SON OF A BITCH!" Ryan screamed with narrowed eyes.

_"You felt it too didn't ya?"_ Ryou asked with angry eyes. _"I sensed an intruder inside Atem's soul room."_

"I can't believe it! Pegasus thinks he can go into people's minds anytime he wants to!" Joey glared.

"C'mon Atem, you can do this!" Hanaski cheered.

"Well, Atem-boy, it looks like your turn was a waste. There are many variables of cards to attack whatever card to attack. The road to defeat lies in little mistakes, one after the other," Pegasus smirked before giving off a small chuckle. "Let me say this: I NEVER make mistakes."

"Pegasus, shut the f*** up," Atem replied before drawing his next card. "I summon Giant Soldier of Stone in defense mode, then end my turn."

"That f***ing son of a bitch!" Tristan glared.

"Who does he think he is, _a god_?" Ryan glared in annoyance.

_"In a sense, he is since he _created_ Duel Monsters. To top it all off, he can read other people's minds. If I were Atem, I couldn't think of any way to win,"_ Ryou mentioned as Ryan agreed inside his head.

"You maybe right, but Atem has a millennium item too."

"Ryan?" Mai questioned.

"Ryou brought out something," Ryan said while watching the duel. "Pegasus is the creator of Duel Monsters. In a sense, he's considered some sort of _god_. With his millennium eye, is there any way to beat it?"

_"Ryou?"_

"Atem will think of something," Joey declared.

"I believe so too. He has the millennium puzzle. If I were him, I'd try to use my millennium item to fight back as well," Ryan said.

"Ok, but can you please tell me who this _Ryou_ is?" Mai asked with frustration.

"It's my turn again," Pegasus said before drawing his next card. "I play one card face-down, then I play Ryu-Ran in defense mode." Ryu-Ran appeared as an egg with arms and legs broken through the holes and eyes in the middle hole of the egg. There also seemed to be a gap between the top and bottom of the egg. "I'll change Red Archery Girl back to defense mode before ending my turn."

"My turn!" Atem declared before drawing his next card. Pegasus smirked devilishly as his millennium eye gave off a brighter glow.

* * *

><p>In the mind room, Yugi kept his full body on his brother's closed mind room door. Another glow came at the end of the hall before Yugi felt his body fall into Atem's soul room. The door had automatically opened <em>on its own<em>. Yugi quickly stood up and used his body as a shield. The huge Eye of Horus rammed right into Yugi and he flipped right into Atem's soul room on his back.

"YEH!" Yugi cried as the whole room glowed brilliant gold. This _never_ happened last time.

Yugi watched in horror as the items in the soul room began floating in midair. All the games, books, pictures, and symbolic objects. Yugi knew that Pegasus was going to the extreme. He wasn't just looking at Atem's cards and stratagy, but memories, thoughts, and feelings. This made Yugi more upset than he had ever been.

_"BROOOTHERRRRRRRR!"_ Yugi cried, which made Atem flinch in reaction to his brother's cries during the duel. "Pegasus is reading _everything_! Your soul room is like an open book!"

* * *

><p>"GET YOUR F***ING SHIT OUT OF MY MIND YOU SON OF A BITCH!" Atem screamed across the table. Pegasus was amused by this.<p>

"Your _bodyguard_ is sure doing a poor job in protecting your mind," Pegasus mocked as Atem glared.

"STOP F***ING MY MIND YOU WHORE!"

"You're worried. You fear that I'm invading your mind with no way to stop me. I can see it, Atem. You're worried that if you fail, you would fail every person you care about," Pegasus said casually.

"I'll place Summoned Skull in defense mode, then fold one card," Atem declared as Summoned Skull appeared in a defense position, then laid a face-down card. "That _ends_ my turn."

"Ryu-Ran now changes to attack mode," Pegasus declared as a dragon hatched right through the egg with the bottom half still attached. "Now he attacks your Summoned Skull."

"TRAP! SPELLBINDING CIRCLE!" Atem declared as he flipped his trap card. The hexagram was wrapped around Ryu-Ryan and its attack decreased.

_"Oh noooo,"_ Pegasus said in a fake awestruck.

"ALRIGHT!" Joey cheered joyfully, though Atem wasn't so sure, especially since Pegasus scanned his _whole_ mind.

"My Summoned Skull changes to attack mode and attacks your Ryu-Ryan," Atem declared with unsureness.

"I activate Trap Displacement. This reverses the trap you placed on me to your monster," Pegasus explains as Summoned Skull became trapped in the hexagram.

"NO!"

"Now Ryu-Ran attacks your skeleton!" Pegasus declared as Ryu-Ryan blew fire right at Summoned Skull and it blew away, leaving Atem with 1400 life points.

"That cheating son of a bitch! Man, is there _any way_ to beat him?" Tristan complained.

"I'd be sealing his soul inside a doll," Ryan smirked with an evil chuckle.

"_Pleeeeaaaaaase_ don't remind me again," Joey asked with jidders.

"Huh?" Mai wondered.

"It's a _long_ story," Tea explained.

Atem became so frustrated and angry. _Was there any way to beat Pegasus?_

"No!" Pegasus replied as Atem glared furiously at his opponent. "Dueling is like the battle of two minds. If one can read his opponent's mind and tactics, he wins. You _can't_ set your foot in my mind, but I can set it into yours."

"Kiss my ass."

"Then, I'll _show_ you. My next card is..." Pegasus said as he drew his next card. "TOON WORLD!"

"Oh..._ f***_," Atem muttered. "You have _got_ to be kidding me."

A comic book appeared and sucked Ryu-Ran and Red Archery Girl into the book before turning them into cartoon versions of themselves. Ryu-Ryan popped up and destroyed Giant Soldier of Stone before hopping back into the pop-up comic book. Atem remembered this continuous spell card. All the toon monsters would be safe inside Toon World. _This_ was the card that defeated Seto Kaiba.

"I'm sure you know about Toon World. After all, you _did_ help me place it in Kaiba-boy's new duel disk system."

"Shut your f***ing mouth," Atem hissed as Pegasus chuckled in amusement.

"I place Red Archery Girl into attack mode."

Atem drew his next card, trying to think of a way to beat Pegasus. He declared, "I summon Celtic Guardian in attack mode to destroy your Red Archery Girl." Obnoxious Celtic Guardian appeared and ran up to slash its sword through Red Archery Girl. The hands of the cartoon clam with Red Archery Girl grabbed the sword to prevent its attack.

"No _normal attacks_ can work on this one," Pegasus explained as the cartoon clam pushed the sword and monster back. "Toon monsters have bodies like rubber and can easily dodge _any_ attack." While Obnoxious Celtic Guardian was being pushed, Red Archery Girl aimed her arrow and shot Obnoxious Celtic Guardian and it disappeared. Luckily, Atem's life points were safe since both monsters' attack points were the same. "As you can see, toon monsters can only be defeated by another _toon_."

Atem felt sweat on his face and a feeling of worry. Pegasus knew all of his strategies and tactics. There was no way to win against this guy, _or so it seemed._ Pegasus smirked, then laid two cards face-down. Atem drew his next card, then placed his Imp in defense mode. There was no way to put his monsters in attack.

"I reveal my trap card, Gorgon's Eye. This changes all your defense monsters and when my monsters attack a stoned monster, I can deplete life points by the difference of your defense points," Pegasus explained as Atem's fear grew bigger. Atem's Imp turned into solid stone, though that would not stop yet. _Not even close._

"Now, before I end my turn, I reveal Doppelganger," Pegasus said while flipping his face-down spell card. A stretchy cat appeared and took Summoned Skull from Atem's graveyard. "It looks like Doppelganger wants your Summoned Skull." The cat changed shape and transformed into a cartoon version of Summoned Skull. "I summon Toon Summoned Skull!"

_"What the f***?"_ Joey and Tristan responded at the same time.

"Destroy Atem's Imp!" Pegasus declared as Toon Summoned Skull attacked the stoned Imp and Atem's life points stooped to 900.

"YOU SON OF A BITCH!" Atem shouted in annoyance before drawing his next card. It was Dark Magician. He knew it was no use since Pegasus already knew Atem's cards. There was no way to beat the eye. Not even _Yugi_ could stop this eye. Atem couldn't defend his monsters, because of Gorgon's Eye; and he couldn't attack, because of those toon monsters. _Was there any way out of this?_

"No, you can't defeat my eye and you can't win," Pegasus replied to Atem's personal question. "I can sense your fighting spirit fading away. Do you wish to surrender?"

_"NO!"_ Atem replied snapply. "There's too much at stake, in case you've forgotten."

"_Really?_ Is it the fact you're trying to free three souls or saving your girlfriend?"

"THAT IS _NON_ OF YOUR BUSINESS!" Atem snapped loudly as his hands turned to fists. "It's true, my chances of winning are as zero as they can get, but I _won't_ give up. I summon Dark Magician in attack mode!" Dark Magician appeared boldly with its staff in its hand. He then took another card from his hand. "Now, I play Magical Hats!" He took three more cards and shuffled them together before laying them across the field face-down. Four hats appeared and Pegasus shook his head with a small chuckle.

"I see, you're using Magical Hats to hide Dark Magician to buy some time to come up with a way to beat Toon World. Though, there's a flaw," Pegasus informed as Atem raised his eyebrows. "Your _mind_ chooses which hat your Dark Magician is hiding."

"_Wrong_ again!" Atem smirked. "I shuffled four cards and placed them upside down without looking at the cards, so not even I know where Dark Magician is. You can check my mind."

"_Smart move_, but it won't last long," Pegasus reminded Atem. "Toon Summoned Skull, attack the hat at the very left!"

Toon Summoned Skull attacked the hat on the very left end and destroyed it. Atem flipped the card, then sighed in relief when he discovered that it was just Alpha the Magnet Warrior. This strategy did work and it was easy. Still, Pegasus was right, this was only _temporarily_. Pegasus knew _every card_ in Atem's hand and would soon know the next card Atem would draw.

Atem felt heat and pressure from the stress. There was no way to beat Pegasus, _nothing!_ Atem was afraid to draw another card and he couldn't close his eyes and let Yugi choose the cards for him. Speaking of which, Yugi knew there was _nothing_ he could do to block the eye from entering into Atem's mind. In fact, it was stuck in the mind room now. Yugi couldn't watch his brother suffer anymore. During his absents, he came up with a strategy on how to beat Pegasus that was _different_ from Atem's.

_"Brother, let me take over!"_ Yugi called as Atem switched right away before Pegasus could sense that he was talking to Yugi. Yugi drew the next card and quickly placed it face-down before switching with Atem.

"_I..._ play one card face-down," Atem declared. Nobody caught Yugi changing in one split second. "I believe it's your turn."

Pegasus smirked, but then it slowly turned into a frown. He was trying to read Atem's mind, but couldn't see the face-down card. It was only the top of the card_. How could this be?_ Atem smirked and chuckled slightly, knowing that Pegasus couldn't read his cards anymore. _Yugi_ had placed the card down, not Atem.

_'Sorry Pegasus, but my _brother's_ the only one who knows that card. You never mentioned switching personalities in your _extra rule_,'_ Atem said from his thoughts as Pegasus' eyes blew out of his eye sockets. "You take your time to read peoples' minds. I thought that if Yugi and I could switch minds and Yugi could come up with a strategy, you wouldn't read our strategies. Our switch and back won't be enough time for you to move your f***ing eye to Yugi's soul room and even if you did, your mind scan will be lost in his maze. In other words, you'll only know what cards he has or what's in front of him. That is... unless you can find his _temporary room_, which will take a while for your eye to find."

"Wait, you mean _Yugi_ placed that card face-down?" Hanaski asked baffled.

"Shit!" Ryan smirked with a small chuckle.

"It's like a _double personality tag-team duel_," Joey smirked as everyone cheered excitedly. _'Now, he needs to figure out how to beat Toon World.'_

In annoyance, Pegasus drew his next card. Though, there was nothing for him to worry about as long as he still had Toon World. All Atem could do is _hide in his hats_. Though, he now was holding more confidence since he found a way to beat the millennium eye. This made Pegasus more frustrated than he had ever been.

"What are you waiting for? You have one out of three chances of destroying Dark Magician, or are you too much of a coward to trust in _your own_ instincts?" Atem mocked.

"Hm, you serve a point, I haven't relied on my own instincts for _years_," Pegasus replied. "Toon Summoned Skull, attack the middle hat!"

Toon Summoned Skull attacked with lightning at the middle hat and it was revealed to be Mystical Space Typhoon, which was treated as a monster card with 0 attack and defense. Atem sent it to his graveyard with that same smudge smirk. He enjoyed the fact that Pegasus couldn't find Dark Magician. Not even _Yugi_ knew where his soul card was.

_"Missed again,"_ Atem mocked with crossed arms. His eyebrows furrowed deeper. "As you know, every game has a winner and a loser. The winner is decided based on their judgments and instincts." He stood up and pointed his index finger at Pegasus. "_You_ have relied too much on your f***ing eye! Without mind-reading, your skills as a duelist have been thrown off. If Yugi was to be in control of _all_ my duels, even _my_ dueling skills would be thrown off. That's why we duel _together_ and not separated. You're arrogant and prideful. Seto's the same way, but at least he doesn't depend on just _power_, he relies on _his own_ power and experience. If you hadn't have read his mind, you would've lost. Compared to you, Seto has more confidence."

"You little..."

"_My_ turn!" Yugi declared as soon as he and Atem switched. He quickly drew another card. "I place this card face-down."

Atem changed back and said, "your turn."

Pegasus seemed to be sweating, which amused Atem. His and Yugi's mind shuffling strategy was working. Pegasus was nervous and not as confident as before. Atem showed a huge smirk to see if he could throw Pegasus off. He drew his next card, and then glared seriously.

"I play Magic Neutralizing Force," Pegasus said as Magical Hats disappeared, exposing Dark Magician. Atem's eyes widened and sweat poured down his face. "This wipes out _all_ magic cards from my opponent's field. You see Atem, duelists don't need _instincts_, they use their brains to think without taking any risks. Now, TOON SUMMONED SKULL, ATTACK ATEM'S DARK MAGICIAN!"

Toon Summoned Skull appeared from the Pop-up comic book, ready to strike Dark Magician. Then, Atem changed to Yugi and declared, "I use Living Arrow!" Pegasus gasped as an arrow shot through Magic Neutralizing Force and Toon World disappeared, revealing all the Toon Monsters. "Didn't you know? My brother was trying to provoke you while I drew the cards."

Yugi changed to Atem and he said, "I knew mocking you would throw you off your game and try to dispell our Magical Hats..."

Atem changed to Yugi and he concluded, "because the Living Arrow card transfers any spell card from me to you."

"That maybe so, but you still can't save your mage," Pegasus smirked.

Atem changed to Yugi and he replied, "that's why I play my other face-down card. MIRROR FORCE!"

A shield surrounded Dark Magician and the attack reflected back to the Toon Monsters. All of the Toon monsters were destroyed and removed from Pegasus' field, leaving the billionaire with 800 life points. Pegasus was _completely horrified_. He was outmatched by the two Atem twins, who used their mind shuffling strategy to throw their opponent off.

"NO! MY TOONS! MY _BEAUTIFUL_ TOONS!" Pegasus whined as Atem gawked up in laughter.

_'WE DID IT!'_ Yugi shouted joyfully in his mind.

_"Yep. Now, Pegasus has nowhere to hide."_

Atem appeared with crossed his arms with a huge smirk on his face. All of his friends were cheering aloud for Atem's and Yugi's near victory. With their mind shuffling strategy, Yugi and Atem were unstoppable against Pegasus' millennium eye. Even Pegasus knew that as long as Atem and Yugi were together, they could keep him from reading their minds. After all, he could only read _one mind at a time_.

"That was great, Atem!" Joey cheered.

"Well, two heads _are_ better than one," Ryan smirked as Ryou nodded in head in reply.

_"But is it really _that_ easy. I mean... Pegasus would've prepared for this just in case Atem did _use Yugi_. Don't you think it's kinda fishy if Pegasus _didn't_ come up with something?"_ Ryou asked as Ryan narrowed his eyes. _Ryou brought up a good point!_

Pegasus showed a huge smile and a dark chuckle before clapping and saying, "WONDERFUL! SPLENDED! I never thought you'd be able to pull off something like this and now here you are. A young duelist who fought his way into the finals. You deserve a duel with the power and _respect_. Now, from this moment on..." Darkness then surrounded the two players, at least in their minds. For everyone else, it seemed like a normal duel inside the Duel Box. "_This_ is a shadow game."

_"A SHADOW GAME!"_ Atem and Yugi gasped as the darkness engulfed the dueling area.

"I have a bad feeling about this," Yugi said.

_"You took the words right out of my mouth,"_ Atem replied.

"Let the shadow game begin," Pegasus smirked with a dark chuckle. _'Can you survive it?'_


	20. The Sacrifice

**Here's the second part of the duel. Basically, this duel with Pegasus will be separated into the regular duel and the shadow game duel. This is where the duel becomes life threatening. Yes, Atem is in HUUUUUUGE trouble! Review please!**

Everyone gasped as soon as they heard the words _"Shadow Game."_ Everyone, besides Mai, knew the horrors of a shadow game. Anyone's life would be on the stake in a shadow game. The friends had seen the outcome of the loser of a shadow game over one thousand times. It always seemed normal on the outside, but to the two opponents, there was something _more_.

Mai was confused. She never, in her life, had heard of a _shadow game_. What was it? There didn't seem to be anything different from a regular duel.

"What's a shadow game?" Mai asked.

"It's a game, of any kind, except your life is at the stake. You remember what happened to Panik? He played a shadow game," Hanaski explained as Mai's eyes widened.

Yugi glared straight at Pegasus who chuckled very darkly. There seemed to be more to this game than met the eyes. Something told Yugi that Pegasus made a shadow game to be able to use his mind-reading abilities.

"In this game, you will be providing your willpower to your monsters. It's the only way to maintain your monsters. The willpower of you Yugi-boy, is questioned, but I'm wondering about Atem-boy's," Pegasus smirked as Yugi kept his furrowed eyebrows. "It can be an advantage and _disadvantage_. On the upside, we'll summon actual monsters. On the downside, running out of willpower can kill someone."

_'I have a bad feeling about this. I'll still draw the cards and summon the monsters. It might take alot of willpower to keep them on the field,'_ Yugi said as Atem nodded from behind.

_"Let's just keep going with our strategy. If not, Pegasus will read your mind,"_ Atem convinced Yugi. _"I'll be fine. I've played a shadow game before, how hard can this one be?"_

"Where were we?" Pegasus asked to himself as he drew a card. "Oh yeah. I play Dark-Eyes Illusionist." Dark-Eyes Illusionist appeared on the field with 0 attack and defense. Yugi knew he couldn't just _attack it_. It might have some special ability that could be very dangerous.

"I play Curse of Dragon and end my turn!" Yugi declared.

_"Ok, let me take over and you come up with a strategy,"_ Atem said as Yugi hesitately agreed and switched places with him.

Pegasus was annoyed, once again, at the mind shuffling strategy the Atem twins were using. Though, the rich billionaire knew this charade wouldn't last long. Atem maybe tough enough to shoot a guard down, but his willpower was weak. There was no way a regular high school boy could stand a shadow game, or one with draining willpower at least.

Atem stared glaringly at Pegasus with fighting spirit. He was willing to take down Pegasus with all his strength, every bit he had. While thinking this, he felt his body feeling heavy and shaking. Atem noticed his chest hurting and making it hard to stay straight up. This pressure was more extreme than Atem thought, maintaining two monsters on the field. Sweat was pouring from his face and his heart was beating faster than normal.

Everyone noticed Atem turning pale and shaking like an earthquake. Sweat was pouring down his face as if he was carrying one thousand pounds. Joey was starting to worry for his friend. What was going on with this shadow game?

"Yo Atem, are you okay?" Joey asked.

_"I..."_ Atem muttered as if he couldn't breathe before his his top half of his body almost collapsed. His arms caught himself. _"_Ugh_... I'm... fine!"_

"What's wrong with him?" Mai asked worriedly.

"It must be the shadow game. It's like it's draining him," Ryan thought with a horrific face.

"I play one card face-down and end my turn," Pegasus declared with a slight smirk.

Atem felt his vision turning blurry and his head and chest hurting. It took every ounce of strength to keep his hand of cards facing him. Yugi couldn't stand to see his brother like this anymore, so he took over. He was so worried about his brother maintaining willpower that he never had time to think of a strategy. Pegasus showed a slight smirk.

"My Curse of Dragon attacks your illusionist!" Yugi declared.

"My Illusionist uses his special ability!" Pegasus smirked as Dark-Eyes Illusionist's eye glowed and Curse of Dragon became paralyzed. Yugi gasped, knowing that this monster had _some sort of_ special ability. Dark-Eyes Illusionist's attack and defense rose to be the same as Curse of Dragon. "And this is only the least of your worries. I play Black Illusionist Ritual!" A vase-shaped pot appeared in the middle with two goblets on each side. Dark-Eyes Illusionist and a monster with weird wings were used as sacrifices for a ritual summon. Out of the darkness came Relinquished. "And here comes my _magnificent_ Relinquished! Let me show you something special about this monster." Relinquished opened a wormhole-like gap in its chest and sucked Curse of Dragon inside as if eating it up.

_"Holy shit!"_ Atem responded from behind Yugi.

"Dark Magician, destroy that beast!" Yugi declared as Dark Magician nodded.

_"I shall protect you, master,"_ Dark Magician replied before waving his wand and blasted Relinquished. It folded its wings and Curse of Dragon was shown and destroyed instead of Relinquished. Yugi's life points were now 400.

"Relinquished can use a monster he captures as his shield. Since you attacked _your own_ monster, you deal damage instead of me," Pegasus explained as Yugi's eyes widened in fear. "I believe it's my turn." Pegasus drew his next card. "Relinquished! CAPTURE DARK MAGICIAN!" Relinquished's chest opened and a wormhole sucked Dark Magician inside.

_"MAAAAAAASTERRRRRR!"_ Dark Magician cried.

"MAHAD!" Yugi cried.

"So _that's_ your soul card. Figures," Pegasus smirked as Relinquished closed its wings and showed Dark Magician.

_"Master,"_ Mahad muttered as Yugi's eyes shook in fear.

"If you attack, you'll be killing _your own_ monster. What _will_ you do?" Pegasus asked mockingly.

_'I can't think of a way to beat that thing!'_ Yugi panicked in his mind.

_"You can't give up, Yugi! Let me take over to buy you some time to think of a plan!"_ Atem said.

_'Brother! You can't risk it! You're too exhausted!'_

_"I'll fight to the end! Pegasus took three souls and I'm planning on winning them back!"_

_'Brother, please don't! _I_... you'll be gone forever if you..."_

_"YUGI! I'll _fight_! I don't care what happens. If you stay like this, Pegasus will read your mind. This way, it'll give us a sporting chance!"_

_'Brother,'_ Yugi muttered while staring into Atem's dark piercing eyes. He couldn't just stare at those eyes and say _'no.'_ At the same time, how could Yugi say _'yes'_? Atem couldn't take _'no'_ for an answer and switched with Yugi while he was hesitating for an answer. Pegasus found it amusing that Atem was fading away.

_"It's... m-my turn,"_ Atem declared as if he couldn't breathe. He placed one hand on the table with the cards face-down on the table to hold himself up while reaching for his deck. All he needed was a card that could beat Pegasus. Everything was gambled on this one draw. Atem drew a card and peered at it. _"I... play this... card... face-down." _'Yugi, use that card to defeat Pegasus.'_ "Then I... play Fernal... Imp in... defense mode."_ Fernal Imp appeared on the field, taking up alot of Atem's willpower, which made him struggle to even keep his eyes opened.

"Relinquished, finish him off!" Pegasus declared as Relinquished used its eye to blast off Fernal Imp.

The blow from Relinquished at Fernal Imp felt like a bomb blast. Atem kept his hands on the table while barely seeing Yugi's arm in front of him as if keeping debris from getting into his eyes. Though, that would be useless since Yugi only appeared in spirit form with Atem. Atem had kept the message to his brother in his head, _'beat Pegasus with this card!'_ It was replied over and over again while his world was spinning upside down. Head, body, and arms were hurting painfully by the blast as the spinning world turned black.

Yugi watched in horror as Atem gave out his last breathe, quiet as a whisper, before his body became completely limp. His body fell forward, then fell off the chair and onto the ground face-down. Everyone gasped in pure horror, especially Mai, as Yugi stood there without moving a muscle.

_"ATEEEEEEEEM!"_ Everyone screamed.

Joey never hesitated in running to the Duel Box and trying to open the door. Unfortunately, it was locked shut. There was no way in. The blond then banged on the door over and over again like a mad man.

"ATEM! ATEM! DON'T DO THIS! WAKE UP!" Joey screamed.

_"Atem,"_ Tea muttered with a quivering lip as a small tear slowly rolled down her cheek.

"Oh man," Ryan muttered quietly.

Yugi couldn't release himself from the horrifying shock that was lying right in front of him. The very boy that meant the whole world... no _the whole universe_ to him was lying on the ground without a breathe. Cold sweat was lying stillfully on that pale-still face. That half-dead boy who lied right by Yugi's transcended feet was the only thing that was on Yugi's mind. Nothing could distract Yugi from his fearful image.

Finally, Yugi snapped out of his shock and cried, _"_BROOOOTHERRRRR!_ WAKE UP!"_ He quickly picked up the paleface boy in his arms, brushing the gold bangs from his face. _"PLEASE! PLEEEEEAAAAAASE WAKE UP!"_ Tears were rolling, then streaming down Yugi's cheeks. Yugi jiggled his brother to try to wake him, but no response. He just laid there _dead_. A small gap was opened in Atem's small mouth on his paled skin. _"NOOOO! No! _No._"_ Yugi felt defeated and his eyes were fixed upon the pale face of a brave hero. Nothing ever mattered now. He buried his face into Atem's pale neck, trying to suck up the only warmth left in his brother. _This couldn't be possible?_ Atem couldn't be dead! He just... _couldn't_.

"Looks like that useless roommate of yours couldn't survive the shadow game," Pegasus smirked smugly as Yugi lifted his head up and stared at Atem's clam face with tears still slowly running down the spirit's eyes. "He's dead."

"SHUT THE F*** UP, PEGASUS! ATEM'S NOT DEAD!" Joey shouted at the top of his lungs. "C'MON ATEM! WAKE UP!"

"Damn! We can't do a f***ing thing!" Tristan cried, cursing at himself.

Tea and Mai stared with shocked looks. The millennium puzzle glowed with brilliance and Yugi appeared in the half-dead body. He groaned, then picked himself up on his two feet and stared angrily at Pegasus. Yugi felt his fists shaking and his eyes growing more narrower than they usually are. Even Tea was terrified by this anger.

"Pegasus! I _WILL_ MAKE YOU PAY FOR THIS!" Yugi shouted aloud.

"Seems to me like you're having a difficult time acknowledging the fact that you failed in your _self-appointed duty_ to protect your dueling protegee," Pegasus smirked before giving off a slight chuckle. "Not to mention you can't use your so called _'mind shuffling'_ strategy. Are you sure you want to keep dueling?"

"PEGASUS!" Yugi yelled across the table. "AS LONG AS MY HEART STILL BEATS, THERE IS NO _GAME OVER_! FOR WHAT YOU DID, I'LL SHOW YOU NO MERCY!"

"Then let's get on with it, shall we?"

"Yugi," Hanaski called from outside of the Duel Box. Yugi turned his head toward his best friend. "I know you can do this!"

Yugi nodded before drawing his next card. There was still the question of how easy it would be for Pegasus to read his mind. That question was answered when Yugi felt a jitter in his mind. Pegasus was scanning his mind, though it wasn't a full scan, since he couldn't find Yugi's temporary room. All Pegasus wanted to know was Yugi's card and strategy. The only card Pegasus wouldn't know was the card laid face-down by Atem.

Yugi declared, "I play Winged Dragon Guardian of the Fortress in defense mode!"

"I use Relinquished to absorb your dragon," Pegasus concluded as Relinquished absorbed Winged Dragon Guardian of the Fortress and used it as a shield with Dark Magician.

_"Master!"_ Mahad cried.

"Mahad, hang on!" Yugi cried with sweat pouring down his face.

"Now, I will play Jigen Bakudan," Pegasus declared as Jigen Bakudan appeared on the field, which looked like a frog bomb. "There's a reason I summoned Relinquished and absorbed your monsters. In two turns, the time bomb will blow up our monsters. Mine has 0 attack and defense, so my life points are safe, but yours, on the other hand..." Yugi felt nerve-wrecking sweat on his face. "C'mon Yugi-boy. You still have one mind left."

Yugi kept thinking of what he could do. Pegasus had everything in the bags and could read his mind anytime he wanted. At the time Yugi drew his next card, he knew Pegasus would know the card and strategy right away. There was no stopping Pegasus. _Nothing!_ Even Ryan knew this and fear swept through him.

"Yugi, don't give up!" Tea cried.

"Forget it! Pegasus can read his mind by the time he draws a card. Is there anything we can do besides sit here?" Tristan asked in a muttered tone.

"I've got nothing," Joey muttered in defeat.

Ryan stared glaringly at the ground while feeling Ryou's spirit next to him saying,_ "there is..._ one way_... but it's too risky."_

_'I know,'_ Ryan muttered before giving off a sigh and staring at the ground. "There is one way."

"Huh?" Joey questioned.

"What was that?" Hanaski asked.

"There's a way we can help, _but_..." Ryan admitted before giving off a long pause. "I... I have to wear the ring."

"What? Ryan, you know that's too risky!" Tristan glared.

"But... if Atem and Yugi disappear, then my brother will never be freed. Yugi's the only one who can free my brother from the evil spirit inside him. I... I'm going to have to risk it. If my brother's evil spirit returns, I know Atem and Yugi will defeat him like last time," Ryan decided before digging in his backpack and retrieving his millennium ring. "I'm not afraid of him... _not anymore!_"

"What are you guys talking about? _Evil spirit?_" Mai questioned.

"We'll explain it after the duel," Joey assured before facing Ryan. "Are you sure?"

"I'm sure," Ryan declared before he let the lace of the ring fall around his neck and it glowed with brilliance. "I'm not afraid of him!"

Everyone felt themselves being removed as their bodies limped, which made Pegasus jump. He started wondering what happened to them. Yugi gasped, looking back, then seeing the ring around Ryan's neck. He felt something entering his mind, but not Pegasus' millennium eye. _It was Ryan!_ He sealed everyones' souls into the hallway of Yugi's soul room. Ryan had come up with a plan.

* * *

><p>Inside the hallway that lead to the two soul rooms of Yugi and Atem, everyone woke up on the floor of the hall. It was as if they were waking up from being unconscious. For Ryan and Ryou, this was normal. Speaking of the Bakura twins, everyone had noticed that there were two Bakura's. One was Ryan, obviously, and the other looked like an innocent version of him, which was hard to believe. Mai looked completely awestruck. She had seen magic and other bizarre stuff, but this one <em>had<em> to take the cake. Joey and Tristan felt like they were losing it.

"Maybe dad was right about smoking pot," Tristan said.

"You're _still_ on that?" Joey asked awestruck.

"HEY! YOU TRY GETTING OFF NICOTINE!"

"Actually, I'm Ryou. Remember me?" Ryou asked with his soft smile.

"I think I do," Hanaski remembered, giving his hand out before they shook hands. _"Cool!"_

"Okay, enough of the crappy chat, we need to make sure that mother f***er lays off Yugi," Ryan said, walking to Yugi's soul room and closing the door.

"What about Atem?" Joey asked before running to the other soul room. Once he entered, his eyes widened by the look of the dark soul room. "DAMN!"

"Yugi was right. Atem's room _is_ darker than Panik's darkness..._ and that's saying something_," Mai realized.

_"Look!"_ Hanaski pointed to the limped body on the floor of the dark soul room. It was Atem, who seemed very weak.

"Atem! Wake up, man!" Joey cried, shaking Atem's body.

Atem moaned and barely opened his eyes, muttering, _"Joey."_

"We're here, man."

"We'll need an army to defeat Pegasus' millennium eye. All of us can gather here and keep that damn eye from entering. I figured that's how Pegasus entered into Yugi and Atem's mind, it goes through this hallway and into one of these doors," Ryan explained as everyone gathered in front of Yugi's door to his soul room. Joey tried to help Atem up, who was barely making any movement.

"C'mon man, you can do it," Joey said, pumping his friend up.

_"Joey,"_ Atem muttered again.

_"Hm,"_ Ryan smirked as Ryou gave a childish smile and nodded.

Everyone saw three bright glows that appeared at the hall of the soul rooms. They all also were lying on the floor. To everyone's surprise, it was Seto, Mokuba, and Solomon. The new trio slowly picked themselves up as if they woke up from a coma. Seto seemed to be in slight shock before discovering he wasn't in Duelist Kingdom anymore, or at least not where he knew.

"_Wha..._ where am I?" Mokuba asked in a muttered tone. He slowly picked his head up and saw his brother. "SETO!" He glomped on Seto with tears in his eyes. "I missed you _sooooo_ much!"

"I missed you too," Seto replied with a soft smile across his lips. At that point, Mokuba's name on his right hand disappeared. "Now, can somebody tell me where the hell I am?"

"We're inside Atem's mind you might say," Ryan replied with a devious smirk. He then cut to the chase. "Yugi is battling Pegasus in a shadow game. Atem played, but he passed out and we're trying to block Pegasus' eye from getting into Yugi's soul room."

"Where's Atem?" Seto asked before seeing Joey exit Atem's soul room with his friend barely alive or responding.

Seto walked toward Atem, also helping him on his feet. Everyone gathered in front of Yugi's soul room door and waiting for the millennium eye to show up. Joey's arms were like butter and kept slipping from his grip on the small teen. Seto sighed deeply and held Atem straight while most of his body was leaning toward the CEO President.

"I'll keep the ass up!" Seto snapped as Joey nodded and stepped in front of him.

* * *

><p>As soon as Yugi heard his friends' thoughts of them being ready for Pegasus, he drew his next card. Pegasus gleamed in excitement, unknowing of the upcoming events that were about to take place. His eye streamed into Yugi's mind, then when he was about to reach the door, something blocked it.<em> A wall?<em> NO! It was _all_ of Yugi's and Atem's friends. Ryan, Ryou, Hanaski, Tea, Mai, Joey, Tristan, _SETO, MOKUBA, AND SOLOMON TOO?_

"WHAT? WHAT'S THIS? WHAT'S GOING ON?" Pegasus cried in horror.

_"Pegasus, you sick son of a bitch, you get your mother f***ing ass away from this mind!"_ Seto spat, holding Atem up who was barely opening his eyes.

"Guys!" Yugi cried in joy.

_"Don't worry about a thing, Yugi!"_ Hanaski grinned with a wink.

_"Yeah, Atem's okay!"_ Mokuba said excitedly.

_"Listen Yugi, and you listen good, kick Pegasus' homo ass for locking my brother and I in cards,"_ Seto demanded.

_"And f*** shit with him!"_ Ryan included.

_"We believe in you!"_ Ryou cheered with his childish smile.

"Thanks! I'll win for sure!" Yugi grinned with confidence. "I play Mystic Box! This frees Dark Magician from your stupid _mutated monster_!" One box was inside Relinquished with Dark Magician inside and the other had Jigen Bakudan. Dark Magician was now free. "There, you're safe now, Mahad."

_"Thank you, Master,"_ Mahad thanked as Yugi showed a childish smile and a nod.

"But your dragon is still inside Relinquished. Once the bomb goes off, your dragon dies!" Pegasus pointed out.

"We'll see," Yugi smirked before drawing his next card. "I use Brain Control to take control of your Relinquished for one turn!"

"Too bad! Jigen Bakudan will explode at this moment and take away your life points!"

_"M-my face-down,"_ Yugi heard Atem mutter.

"My brother had a face-down card. Let's see what it is!" Yugi smirked as he flipped it over, which he saw what it was after his friends blocked Pegasus' pathway to his soul room. "DARK MAGIC RITUAL! I will sacrifice my Winged Dragon of the Fortress and Jigan with my Dark Magician." A hexagon circle appeared in the middle with Dark Magician, and Winged Dragon Guardian of the Fortress and Jigan Bakudan floating above the poles. "NOW! COME, MAGICIAN OF BLACK CHAOS!" Dark Magician flew into a vortex and appeared through the dark as Dark Magician of Black Chaos.

_"I will protect you, my master,"_ Dark Magician of Black Chaos promised._ "Because I was created with your Dark Magician, I can talk to you like this as well."_

"I know," Yugi nodded before smirking childishly at Pegasus. "This is our trump card. Let's see how much damage _this guy_ can do."

Pegasus felt _so_ annoyed, but decided to wait until his next turn. Brain Control would wear off and Relinquished would be on his field and absorb Magician of Black Chaos. Pegasus knew Yugi couldn't beat him even if he played to his limits, _or so he believed._ Yugi had everything in the bags, now that Pegasus' mind reading powers were gone. His friends were there to make sure Pegasus never set foot into the spirit's mind room.

Yugi could sense his brother waking up slowly and gaining his contentiousness. He knew that Atem was weak and tired, but was there with his friends to prevent Pegasus from getting inside Yugi's mind room. They all were blocking Pegasus' eye from getting inside the mind room. Ryan had risked _everything_ for this moment. Yugi wasn't planning on letting this be in vain.

Yugi drew his next card and declared, "I place one face-down card, then I play Kuriboh." Kuriboh appeared in attack mode, ready to pounce. Pegasus was baffled that there was someone that _actually_ _uses_ Kuriboh, especially someone like Yugi. It only meant that he was aware of this monster's useful ability. Pegasus also couldn't see Yugi's face-down card thanks to his friends, but he still had one trump card. Pegasus drew his next card.

"Your Brainwashing spell is worn off, so Relinquished is mine. It can absorb your monster's attack and use it as a shield, but with you, that effect won't happen twice, so..." Pegasus said before flipping his two face-down cards. "I'll use _these_." The two spell cards were shown as Thousand-Eyes Idol and Polymerization. "I'll use Polymerization to fuse Thousand-Eyes Idol and Relinquished to create Thousand-Eyes Restrict!" Relinquished and Thousand-Eyes Idol fused together and created a monster that was like Relinquished, but it had almost a _thousand_ eyes. Yugi cringed a little.

"Ok, that's just gross looking," Yugi responded, snickering at the sight. "It looks like a _mutated_ sea monster or something."

"Ah, but its powers are equal to Magician of Black Chaos. Once Thousand-Eyes Restrict opens its eyes, all your monsters will feel helpless on the field," Pegasus pointed out.

"It still looks gross."

"You still plan on using Magician of Black Chaos?"

"_Duh!_ And I'm gonna kick your flippin' ass!" Yugi promised with boldness in his heart.

"Thousand-Eyes Restrict, open your eyes!" Pegasus ordered as his monster opened every single eyeball. The eyes paralyzed Kuriboh and Magician of Black Chaos. Yugi had to use every ounce of strength to prevent himself from grossing out over the monster._ It was a good thing Tea wasn't here._ "My Thousand-Eyes Restrict paralyzes your monsters, making them helpless on the field." Yugi smirked widely, knowing _exactly_ what he had to do. "Now my monster will absorb your monsters!" As soon as the main eye of Thousand-Eyes Restrict started glowing, Yugi flipped his face-down card.

"I use my spell card Multiply!" Yugi declared as his Kuriboh multiplied into thousands of Kuribohs all around Magician of Black Chaos. Pegasus gasped in horror as all the little fuzzballs absorbed into Thousand-Eyes Restrict instead of Magician of Black Chaos. All the Kuribohs appeared in every eyeball of Thousand-Eyes Restrict. "Now it looks _alot_ better, and of course you are aware of Kuriboh's special ability _when touching a monster_."

Pegasus' eyes widened as he watched Thousand-Eyes Restrict explode by little mini mines all over the monster. Yugi's life points were left with 100 while Thousand-Eyes Restrict became blinded by the exploding Kuribohs. On the long run, Magician of Black Chaos was also freed from Thousand-Eyes Restrict's spell since the monster was blind. Yugi smirked victoriously.

"Magician of Black Chaos, FINISH OFF PEGASUS ONCE AND FOR ALL!" Yugi shouted with victory written on his face as Magician of Black Chaos spun its wand and shot a huge blast at Thousand-Eyes Restrict, banishing it from the field. Yugi let Atem take over since the battle was _finally over_ and Pegasus' life points were now 0.

"PEGASUS! _WE WIN!_" Atem shouted victoriously.

At that moment, Atem's puzzle and Ryan's ring glowed with brilliance and everyone's souls returned to their own bodies. Everyone woke up from the floor, gaining back their contentiousness. Ryan had succeeded in helping Atem and Yugi prevent Pegasus' eye from entering Yugi's soul room. Everyone else had contributed in also preventing Pegasus' eye from entering Yugi's mind room. Atem had given all he had until his last strength.

* * *

><p>Atem appeared in his own soul room where Yugi stood there with an exciting smile. They continually stared at each other <em>longingly<em>. Nothing could ruin this moment. They finally ran and embraced each other in their arms. A tear shed in Yugi's left eye, glad that Atem was alive and well.

"I thought... when you fainted _that_... I'd never see you again," Yugi admitted with a tearful joy.

"It doesn't matter," Atem smirked, separating their embrace. "We did it!" They immediately gave themselves a high five up in the air. "And everyone contributed."

"That's right!"

* * *

><p>Atem opened his eyes, finding himself inside the Duel Box in front of Pegasus. His friends were outside the Duel Box having their moment. Though, there was something <em>different<em>, it was Ryan. He was now holding eyes just as innocent as Yugi's, and a bright smile shown across his face. The millennium ring was around the white-haired boy's neck again, which meant _this_ was Ryou.

"That was amazing!" Hanaski cried out.

"Yeah, I felt like..." Joey started before being interrupted.

"Like we were fighting along side Yugi, and we were. _We won_ and Pegasus is finally defeated," Ryou clarified as Joey's head turned boiling hot.

"HEY! I WAS GONNA SAY THAT!"

"Who cares, man. WE WON!" Tristan shouted joyfully as everyone leaped up in the air and ran to the door of the Duel Box.

"I think this whole tournament is going to require _years_ of therapy," Mai moaned with her hand on her forehead. "By this time, nothing surprises me."

Atem got up from his chair and glared at Pegasus, who was now defeated at this point, saying, "you know the deal. RELEASE THE SOULS OF GRANDPA AND THE KAIBA BROTHERS!"

_"Very well,"_ Pegasus muttered as he took the cards from his pocket and the pictures of Seto and Mokuba disappeared. Atem checked his phone, turning it on. His grandfather's face was no longer there.

"Their souls are free. I can feel it in my ring," Ryou assured with his bright smile.

"My men will get your prize ready... as soon as _someone_ releases their souls back into their bodies!" Pegasus glared, pointing dagger eyes at Ryou as he chuckled.

"Sorry about that. My brother can be a little extreme," Ryou apologized before his ring glowed and the souls inside the avatar dolls, in the dungeon, were returned to their normal bodies.

"Wait, you're Ryou aren't you?" Tristan asked as Ryou nodded. "Huh, no wonder you were acting so nice."

"The door to the dungeon is also locked. Though, I'd like to talk to you about _something_. There's another reason I came besides rooting for my friend," Ryou said before giving a glance to his friends.

"Got it!" Joey nodded as he walked on his way to the dungeon to unlock it and free the guards. Though, he gawked up laughing when he realized what Ryan _did_ to the guards.

"I've read alot of people's minds in my life, but never one with _two minds_," Pegasus said, then faced Ryou. "_You_ have that power too, I'm guessing."

"My brother and I share a body. Though, our millennium powers are different. I can seal souls into objects or people. Atem can unite souls as one. What I want to know is about these millennium items. You have a picture of Shadi, a man Atem claimed he met, who holds _two_ millennium items. You must know _something_ about these items."

"I know _much_," Pegasus said, a smile appearing on his lips. "I've also never found out his name. I'll tell you as much as I know. There is an evil power inside each millennium item."

"An... _evil_ power?" Ryou questioned. "Does this have anything to do with the evil spirit who keeps trying to gain control of my soul room?"

Pegasus' eyes widened and looked up at Ryou. His eyes furrowed and replied, "then it's true. Both of you carry _spirits_ of the millennium items. _The souls of actual people._" Atem and Ryou gasped. What did Pegasus mean by_ 'actual people.'_ "In that case, let me explain to you from the very beginning." Pegasus showed a duel monster card, but this one showed a picture of the beautiful young girl Ryan and Atem saw on the dining room wall. "Her name is Cecelia, my wife. We grew up as kids and married. Though, at seventeen, Cecelia died from a terrible sickness. I fell into depression for a while and even visited with a psychiatrist. He told me traveling to different places would help me _cope_ with my loss. During my visit, I met this... _Shadi_ fellow. He seemed young, but was older than he looked... _way older_. Anyways, he was stopping a thief who was stealing that ring around your neck." Ryou gasped, then remembered something.

"I... I think I remember that. A thief was trying to steal the millennium items for money and power. He was given a _timeout_, though I never recalled meeting you. Probably because you never _had_ your hands on the ring," Ryou confessed as Atem eyed at his white-haired friend.

"Yes well... he also read _my_ mind as well, not the same as _I_ do," Pegasus explained as Atem let out a snort.

"Yeah... _I noticed_," Atem replied.

"I watched that thief being given that millennium ring and put around his neck, but as soon as it was laced, he was burned to death. I was horrified watching this. Shadi caught me following him, then gave me _this_," Pegasus finished, pointing to his eye. "He got it from the Tablet of the Pharaoh's memories. My guess is that it's _Atem_ who carries the Pharaoh's soul." Atem gasped quietly. "Not surprised of this baffling. Yugi-boy would no nothing besides his _temporary name_. When he placed the eye inside my eye, I saw _things_ I never saw before. A door opened and I met Cecelia for only a moment before she disappeared from my sight." The boys felt pity on this rich billionaire, who turned out to be a poor man morning for his dead wife. "I am terribly sorry for what I did, but... I suppose I wanted to take over the company, because of their _holographic system_ that makes monsters so _real_. I thought... I could..." Pegasus stared at the duel card of Cecelia. The boys nodded and understood what Pegasus was trying to clarify.

"You thought taking control of the company would help you see your wife again, even if it was under _cruel conditions_," Atem finished in a muttered tone as Pegasus nodded. "Seto would've never agreed to this."

"I would've freed you after gaining control. I'm not as _cruel_ as I seem."

"I know now," Atem said, staring at the ground. "If that were Yugi, I would've done the same, _if not worse._ If I didn't forgive you, that'd make _me_ the monster."

"Thank you," Pegasus thanked with a hopeful smile before standing up, facing the boys. "You're Ryan's spirit right? _Be cautious._ You and Atem won't be _friends_ for long. The pharaoh not only trapped his _own_ soul, but evil souls as well. You having an evil spirit is no _coincidence_."

The boys nodded and walked on their way to the bedroom where Seto and Mokuba were resting at. Those words will never be forgotten and Atem knew that Ryou would soon be controlled by this _evil spirit_. This battle wasn't over, not even close. Atem and Yugi both knew that their _battle had just begun_.


	21. Epilogue: The Precious Piece

**Since this story is sooooo close to being over and done, I decided to use this time to finish this, which concludes the ending and holds off for Drum Roll Please! (drums) BATTLE CITY! Yes folks, the next one is Battle City. That one's gonna be a challenge, not the beginning, but the ending parts. I'm gonna have to count on spoilers or something. I mean like it'd be easier to do Yugioh R than Battle City. Though, it'd be more fun to write Battle City than Yugioh R. It'll also be LONGER. Here's the reason, Battle City contains the beginning, the blimp "I'M ON A BLIMP! I'M ON A BLIMP!" lol anyways, then there's the tower. For those of you that only seen the anime, THERE'S NO NOA ARC! That was an extra. In reality, everyone just went ahead to Battle City. Here are the arcs that never were in the manga: Virtual reality game, Noa arc, Doma arc, and the grand pix (Death T was better). Basically, after Battle City, there was Yugioh R, then Millennium World. Review please!**

Atem changed to Yugi after returning to the guest room where Mokuba and Seto were resting. He leaned over to the balcony of the window and watched the clouds. There were alot on his mind, especially the fact that Pegasus declared that he was _possibly_ a ruler of a country. Atem seemed surprised, but okay with it, but Yugi was just _baffled_ at everything he heard. He kept asking himself, _'Who am I? Where did I come from?'_

Tea noticed Yugi being quiet and decided to keep him company. Ryou had explained to everyone about the evil inside the millennium items and Pegasus'_ true intentions_. Nobody could truly _hate_ Pegasus for what he did. After all, he was only trying to find a way to see his wife again. Ryou also feared about the evil spirit inside him returning. He warned everyone to be on their heels.

Tea placed a gentle hand on Yugi's hand. Yugi slightly turned his head and smiled.

"Something wrong?" Tea asked.

"I'm just thinking on alot of things. Pegasus told Brother that he holds the spirit of the pharaoh... _me_. I don't even know what I am. I only know as much as my name... or _temporary_ name, as Pegasus puts it. Is it possible that Yugi's not my true name, but like _a nickname_ or something?" Yugi asked.

"Even if Pegasus was right about you being some sort of _king_ or something, you're still _Yugi_ aren't you? Even if that isn't your _real name_?"

"_I suppose_, but does it hurt to want too know who you are?"

"No, it isn't, Yugi. I'll tell you what, maybe when we return home, we can answer those questions. I heard the museum has a new exhibit."

Yugi smiled, then hugged Tea, thanking, "thanks Tea."

"Anytime," Tea replied before placing a kiss on Yugi's cheek.

_"Hmmm,"_ a moan was heard before Yugi changed to Atem and he walked quickly to Mokuba's side.

_"Mokuba?"_ Atem whispered, his thumb stroking Mokuba's hair from his face. Mokuba slowly opened his eyes and saw Atem's smiling face. He smiled widely before glomping into Atem's embrace, crying in his chest. "It's alright. I'm right here." Atem brushed Mokuba's thick hair before placing a kiss on the boy's head. "Yugi defeated Pegasus thanks to you and everyone else."

"I know!" Mokuba cried, wiping his tears. "We kicked ass, didn't we?"

"We sure did."

_"Ugh,"_ Seto moaned, before sitting himself upright. "What the hell?"

_"SETOOO!"_ Mokuba cried aloud before he pounced on Seto, who was resting in the same bed as he was. "You're back! You're _really_ back!"

"Morning, Rich Boy," Joey smirked with folded arms.

"Glad to see both of you awake. Pegasus is defeated, which means he won't gain control of Kaiba Corporation. Speaking of which, I wonder where..." Atem questioned himself before hearing the door open. Ryan had switched with Ryou, after he left to go find the first key Pegasus took from Mokuba. "You found it?"

"The rich ass' butler gave me the key. Also... I've got _really_ bad news," Ryan said with a dark tone in his voice. "I can't take the ring off... _again_, and after getting the key... I think Ryou's evil spirit caused some _trouble_... _again_."

"What happened?" Atem asked with nervousness.

_"I wish I knew,"_ Ryan smirked before showing a snort through his nose. "Anyways..." He threw the first key to Atem before he gave it to Mokuba.

"Sweet!" Mokuba responded.

"Since Pegasus is gone, I'd like to have my key back," Seto demanded.

"Uh... _okay_," Atem agreed with a slight blush. He turned to Tea. "You think you can... _leave_. Not to be rude, but... the key _is_..."

"I probably don't _wanna_ _know_, do I?" Tea asked with a snicker on her face as Atem smirked, shaking his head. The girl left the room.

Seto narrowed his eyebrows and asked, "where the hell did you put it to make your girlfriend leave?"

_"It's..."_ Atem hesitated as he pointed to his crouch as every person's jaw dropped.

"_Shiiiiiiiiit_," Joey responded.

"YOU SON OF A BITCH!" Seto snapped as he ran for Atem while he escaped into the bathroom.

_"I'll clean it up!"_ Atem promised after slamming and locking the door.

"YOU OPEN THE F***ING DOOR YOU F***ING SON OF A BITCH, _SHITTING ON MY KEY!_"

_"Seto!"_ Mokuba cried while Seto kept banging on the door. "Atem _did_ have it around his neck at first, but then Pegasus attacked us and almost took our keys. We had to find a perfect place where _nobody_ could retrieve it."

"At least now we know why Pegasus had to take Atem and Yugi's soul and make their body a rag doll in order to steal the key," Ryan chuckled before Tea was finally allowed to come in, since Atem was removing and cleaning the second key in the restroom.

"What the hell happened?" Tea asked.

"Kiaba's pissed, because Atem stuck the key in his d***," Ryan replied as Tea's face flushed hot red.

_"Sorry I asked!"_ Tea snickered, grossed out.

Atem exited from the bathroom with the second key in his hand. It was cleaned and decontaminated, since it was at his penis area. Seto was still angry at Atem for sticking the key in there, but decided that babysitting Mokuba and taking care of all his needs made them even. All in all, Atem was glad everything was back to normal and this tournament was _finally over_.

One of Pegasus' employees entered the room, nodding his head at Seto, who just gave him an angry look. The employee walked up to Atem and gave him a check.

"Here's your prize money. For the left hand, you have the option to own Industrial Illutions," the employer offered.

"_No_, Industrial Illusions belongs to Pegasus," Atem declared.

"That's the other thing... Pegasus was attacked and found with a... _bloody eye_. We think someone attacked him and stole his millennium eye."

Atem's eyes widened, knowing or _suspecting_ who it was. Ryou's evil spirit had _definitely_ returned, there was no doubt about it. Though, Atem didn't want Ryan to get arrested _or get killed_, because of a an evil spirit that was controlling him against his will. He knew the only way to save Ryan and Ryou was to defeat the evil spirit inside them. _This_ was something no law inforcement could do, but someone who had battled this evil power for thousands of years, _Yugi_. If he was truly _pharaoh_, then he could defeat this evil being somehow.

"What's gonna happen now?" Atem asked, acting clueless about what happened to Pegasus.

"We could give it to Yako and Gekko Pegasus," The employer said as everyone rose their eyebrows.

_"Pegasus has kids?"_ Atem asked in surprise.

"After his wife died, Pegasus adopted two young lads," the employer explained as Atem nodded his head. The employer sighed deeply. "They'll be greatly sad for their loss."

"Despite his cruel threats, he had a heart," Atem said.

"I think in reality, he was chasing after his dead wife."

The employer left the room, then Seto got up from the bed, including Mokuba. Everyone left the castle where a helicopter awaited for Seto and Mokuba. The wind from the helicopter swept through everyone by the propeller. Seto turned his head toward Atem who held a slight smirk.

"Remember, this battle _isn't_ over yet!" Seto promised as Atem held a thumbs up.

"And _we_ get to fly on a private helicopter, losers!" Mokuba smirked as Joey's head boiled.

"Why you little..." Joey glared while shaking his fist.

"Speaking of the devil, is there _any way_ to get out of his f***ing island?" Ryan asked as everyone turned bug-eyed.

"Guess you'll have to swim," Seto smirked.

"F***! THERE'S NO BOATS AROUND HERE!" Mai was complaining while running out of the castle. While everyone else were with Seto and Mokuba in the guest room, Mai was trying to find a boat or ship.

"Seto, how about we let them ride in our copter?" Mokuba asked.

"You have got to be f***ing kidding me!" Seto glared.

"It's rather that or I can use the internet access around here to post the security camera video of our duel where you almost committed suicide," Atem threatened with a devilish smirk.

_"YOU WOULDN'T!"_

"Try me."

"Fine, but after _this_, we're even. If I hear one bullshit from how you _owe me something_, I'll gladly sock you in the gut!"

"Deal!"

Atem, Ryan, Hanaski, Tea, Joey, Tristan, and Mai scrunched themselves inside the private helicopter. Seto felt completely annoyed that he had to bring the most _annoying people_ he was ever acquainted with to Japan. On the positive side, at least this bizarre tournament was over and so was dealing with Pegasus. Since he didn't own Industrial Illusions anymore, the Big Five would be out of a job. In the end, everything turned out the way it was supposed to. Things were _finally_ back to normal... _sorta_.

Seto and Mokuba returned to their mansion and worked on the Kaiba Corporation stocks. Seto was able to organize everything and make sure that _everything_ was sold. At the same time, Seto was also making plans for a tournament to make up for his last duel with Atem. A part of him felt _horribly_ guilty for losing his pride. While making plans that were written in blue print, he stared at his left hand, which still held Atem's name.

_"Until we settle the score,"_ Seto muttered before returning back to his typing.

Then, Seto heard a buzzing sound that was like a back massage machine. This made him almost jump off his chair and go completely berserk. _Someone_ was using the jacuzzi tub on the second floor. Mokuba was sitting on the desk next to his brother and Hobson was cleaning the kitchen.

"Mokuba, are you _sure_ there's nobody else in here? I thought you said you _checked_ the security cameras," Seto glared as Mokuba's eyes widened, then realized something.

"_Oh_... that's Atem. He just came in two hours ago," Mokuba explained.

"Why the hell is _he_ here?"

"Well, you see. After you were _comatose_, he started visiting me almost everyday. He's kinda like family now, so I'm... kinda used to him around." Seto sighed deeply, covering his face with his hand. "Do you want him to..."

"As long as he doesn't bother me and pretends he never was here, I don't f***ing care if he puts his ass here or not!" Seto replied in an annoyed tone. Then, a smirk appeared. "But maybe he could be _useful_ for _one project_." He gave the blue prints for his next tournament to Mokuba. "Tell Atem he can be a coe-host for this event on _a few conditions_."

Mokuba peered at it and asked, "Battle City?"

"It's my new tournament. This time, it'll be more _challenging_ than Duelist Kingdom. I will need to be sure that Atem _will_ attend and I know how picky he is about _some of the rules_ in a dueling tournament."

"ALRIGHT!" Mokuba replied in a grinning fashion.

Seto watched his little brother excitedly run to the second floor to where Atem was bathing. At least he found some used to Atem _staying over_, but it would still take some getting used to. This next tournament would make up for _everything_. All of the tournaments Seto ever had with Atem were _always_ involving cruel force or putting lives in danger. _Not anymore!_ This time, this would be a _normal_ tournament and not just a_ 'normal tournament,'_ it'd also be a _challenging_ tournament for _all_ duelists. It would only be when Seto_ settled things_ with Atem that he would claim _the final piece to his own heart._

**Preview for At-Em-Oh Battle City: Just when Atem starts settling down from Duelist Kingdom, he faces a new adventure with obtaining Yugi's memories. To do this, Yugi must win the three Egyptian God cards and defeat his new enemy, Marik. Though, his mission isn't as easy as it seems. Friends taken hostage, Serenity recovering from her operation, and mysteries uncovering Yugi's ancient history. Just when Atem thinks the Rare Hunters could never get any worse, he is _dead_ wrong when the final contestants, battling Marik, end up on the road to their _death bed_. Battle City is about to get _bloody_... LITERALLY!**


End file.
